This is the original book that inspired the Disney movie 101 Dalmatians. While the majority of the plot is the same, with the marriage of Mr and Mrs Dearly, that of their two dogs, and the villainous Cruella De Vil who kidnaps the puppies for their fur coats. The book is a little more complex in the relationships between the dogs. In the movies, Perdita is a parent to the puppies and Pongo's mate. Meanwhile in the book, Pongo marries Missis Pongo and they have 15 puppies together. Perdita is actually not the mother to the puppies and instead was rescued by the Dearlys after she lost her puppies and later became a wet nurse to the puppies. This causes some tension between Perdita and Missis, and adds another layer to the story that's really not present in the movie.  I usually read the book before seeing a movie, but in this case, I did it in reverse and I feel like it made me appreciate the book a lot more. 

This book has also aged with the times.  It does not feel as dated as some other classics or for that matter another book I read by Dodie Smith called I Capture the Castle.  I decided to read that book, after having received it as a gift from 5 different people. While I found that book quite “mid”, I actually enjoyed this one and I would definitely recommend it to fans of the movie or dog lovers in general!