The Pretty Poodle

A heartwarming story about perseverance, literacy, and achieving your dreams.

What would you do to earn something you’ve always wanted?

Mary wants a poodle more than anything in the world. When her parents present her with a challenge she must complete before getting the pet she desires, Mary faces an important choice: give up on her dream or rise to the occasion. With encouragement from her teacher, support from her family, and her own determination and effort, Mary discovers that achievement is often the result of many things working together.

The Pretty Poodle is a fully illustrated work of juvenile historical fiction that imagines a childhood experience in the life of educator Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little. The fictional story introduces young readers to enduring themes of perseverance, responsibility, literacy, goal-setting, family support, academic achievement, confidence, and leadership.

As an adult, Mary Lou Allison Gardner Little helped galvanize seven young Black women at Butler University in 1922 to establish what became Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. The Pretty Poodle honors that educational and leadership legacy while helping children explore what they, too, are capable of achieving.

Written for children ages 6–12, The Pretty Poodle can be enjoyed independently or used at home, in classrooms, libraries, and youth programs to encourage reading, discussion, reflection, and meaningful conversations about goals, challenges, effort, support, and achievement.

Extend the Experience

Continue the learning with The Pretty Poodle Activity & Discovery Journal, featuring vocabulary, reading comprehension, writing, reflection, drawing, critical-thinking, and personal-discovery activities.

For the complete experience, choose The Pretty Poodle Success Loop Set, which includes:

• One copy of The Pretty Poodle

• One Activity & Discovery Journal

• One Facilitator Guide featuring The Pretty Poodle Success Loop™ framework and methodology

• One Reading Achievement Award

• The goal is not only to celebrate achievement. It is to help create more of it.