I enjoyed this book because of the timeless tales detailed illustrations and use of dialogue. The detailed illustrations help young readers understand the information as well as move the story along. Seeing the detailed illustrations of the 99 puppies attempting escape from the De Vil house engages readers to continue to find out where the puppies are going thus moving the story along. The use of dialogue also is very useful in this story. Not only does it create a theatric like style to the story but also it allows the reader to get a sense of the characters personalities and feelings. The use of dialogue also moves the story along just like a conversation.
“That’s funny,” Tibs said to the Captain and Colonel. “I heard puppies barking over at the old De Vil house last night.”
“But no one lives there now,” said Colonel. “We must go and see what’s going on.”
The dialogue, listed above, is just a conversation within the story but it guides the reader to what may happen next and keeps you on the edge of your seat while reading. The overall main idea of this story was that stealing is not good. The story is about Cruel De Vil puppy-napping Dalmatians to strip their fur coats and make a new fashion coat for herself. The puppies from a litter in London are taken. With the help of animals in London and the police, the puppies and a few extra escape and make it home safely. All 99 puppies get a happily ever after living in London. ( )

I like this book for two reasons and those are its plot and its great use of illustrations. The big message of this story is that good always triumphs over evil. For example, each time the evil Cruella De Vil gets close to her goal of skinning the puppies for their coat someone with good intentions intervenes and foils her plot. This message is portrayed multiple times throughout the story but none more so then when Pongo and Perdita, the parents of the kidnapped puppies, put out a distress signaled called the Twilight Bark which unites all good factions in this story as they go on a frantic hunt for and eventually rescue all the puppies.
First, the plot in this book is both suspenseful and paced very well. The suspense in this book is non-stop from the very beginning as the puppies are first kidnapped and the human parents exhaust every option to find them and fail. This makes the reader worry that maybe they won’t be found in time but as the story continues its good pace; the true heroes come to light and are none other then the Dalmatian parents of the puppies. This is shown when they put out what they call the twilight bark and ask for help from all corners of England to help track down their lost pups. The flow of the story continues to push on and each time the twilight bark reaches another character the reader feels one step closer to seeing how this great conflict resolves. The story climaxes in a great car chase scene as the puppies and their parents are in a van followed closely by Cruella and her goons. The conflict resolves as Cruella and her goons crash into each other and the puppies finally get to go home. This for the reader is a burst of relief as good triumphs over evil and they get to experience the heart-felt reunion of the puppies and their human parents.
Secondly, the illustrations in this book are both exciting and are used greatly to enhance the written story. Without the illustrations the reader would have a tough time experiencing the excitement of the written text in the book. For example, in the rescue scene of the puppies it says “Perdita attacked Horace Badun, while Pongo tore at Jasper Badun’s trousers.” Now while the reader may be able to understand what is happening, the picture illustrates the two Dalmatians tearing up the bad guy’s trousers and also pulling the rug out from under the other one. This level of excitement shown through illustration keeps the reader entertained as the text tells the story. Another great illustration is the one accompanied by the text “Suddenly, Pongo had an idea. He made all the puppies roll in some soot until they all looked like black Labradors.” The illustrations shows the puppies clean, then half covered in soot, then the final product which looks completely like a different dog. This helps the reader understand just how much the soot helps hide the puppies’ identities from the evil goons chasing them. Without these illustrations the story would be quite bland and without the appropriate excitement level to accompany its amazing plot. ( )