REVIEW: ‘Lady and the Tramp’ Junior Novel

Lady and the Tramp Junior Novel is published by Disney Books, and written by Elizabeth Rudnick. The novelization is an adaptation of the Disney+ movie, which is itself an adaptation of the original animated movie from 1955. The story follows the young life of a female dog named Lady, as she is adopted by a loving and happy couple Jim Dear, and Darling. Things become strained however when the couple becomes pregnant and gives birth to a child. Through a series of unfortunate events thereafter, Lady finds herself on the streets in an unknown part of the city, with a dog catcher in hot pursuit. Aided by a newfound friend, and a local street dog, Tramp, Lady is determined to get back to her family.

Given the book is a novelization based on the movie, it’s difficult not to make a direct comparison of the two being mirror images of themselves. While this is true for this book, there are a lot of elements where I would say the book holds advantages to the movie.

I’ve watched and read both products, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well the book does to stand on its own two legs, or for the sake of being ironic, it can stand on its own four legs. Rudnick does a brilliant job in flushing the story out where the movie adaptation doesn’t have the ability too.

As an example, early on in the book, we follow the story from Lady’s point of view, hearing her inner monologue. This personalized perspective for a younger reader serves to justify, and really reinforce that when Lady is trying to get the attention of her owners during the baby shower, it’s a matter of confusion for the adorable little pup. The dog, who has served as the first child of this family, is now being pushed to the side without the ability to comprehend why, and you feel that bewilderment through the text.

There are plenty more examples of this, and with a younger reader in mind, it’s important for them to grasp the concepts to really appreciate the message of the story. Both Lady and Tramp learn valuable lessons in becoming better versions of themselves compared to where they begin their journeys. Each dog thinking the other is lesser for various reasons.

Rudnick does a lovely job in transcribing the movie visuals with language that would be appropriate for many levels of readers, whether read to by a parent or independently for more proficient readers. A fair warning that the parts with the rat, especially near the ending could be unsettling for some little ones, so bear that in mind. Overall though, this was a really nice book, and I believe it’s fun for little minds to climb inside the head of a dog and go for walkies in their paws.

Lady and the Tramp Junior Novel is available to purchase wherever books are sold.