Review by Ian Keogh

The cover suggests Gabby Jordan and her friends run a dog walking business, and that’s where Michele Assarasakorn and Nathan Fairbairn begin, at a point where it’s all going wrong. Gabby lives in Vancouver, and naturally enough so do her friends Mindy and Priya. They’re established early as having different personalities, but what unites them is they all love animals, and none of them are allowed to have a pet.

Assarasakorn puts in the extra work in providing different reasons for parents not wanting pets in the house, which pays off later, and portrays the girls as creative when it comes to conceiving ways in which they might have contact with animals. That doesn’t fall into place easily, and the plot’s also good in showing that while the girls fantasise about plenty of quality time with adorable dogs, they’ve not considered the less savoury aspects. A scene where they realise they have to clean up after a dog is brilliantly realised by Assarasakorn as the full horror dawns. It’s extended over several pages, drawn with subtlety by Fairburn so young readers will know what’s going on without having it explicitly shown. The accompanying expressions are great.

Paws is structurally similar to the opening Baby-Sitters Club graphic novel in being entertaining, but also a step by step guide to setting up a responsible and safe business. However, because Assarasakorn isn’t adapting books from the 1980s there’s greater social awareness. This isn’t just with regard to a cast with mixed backgrounds and allergies, but in matters such as highlighting thrift shops are a necessity for some.

Fairburn’s cartooning is very expressive for both people and dogs. You’ll love them all. He goes the extra mile to embed the girls in a neighbourhood, reinforcing it throughout with simple backgrounds of local streets. When too many artists focus only on people, it supplies greater depth and is appreciated. Paws doesn’t just concentrate on the joys of looking after dogs, but shows how much work it involves, and Fairburn’s draws this evocatively.

A crisis point is reached because Gabby, Mindy and Priya don’t realise what a commitment dog walking is. It needs to be done every day in all kinds of weather, and differences of opinion eventually lead to the scene beginning Gabby Gets it Together. As positivity is a constant, problems are worked through, before a happy ending.

Cheerful, charming and instructive, Paws is a lovely all-ages graphic novel and there’s more to follow in Mindy Makes Some Space.