Cartoon puppy in a PUP jersey dribbling a basketball toward a backyard hoop with stars and clouds.

Pup Dribbles Past the Backyard Hoop

A grinning puppy in a number 8 PUP jersey races across the court, paw on the bouncing ball and hoop waiting nearby.

🎨 How to color it

Color the puppy golden tan, the PUP jersey bright red with white number 8s, the basketball pumpkin orange, and the hoop pole cool blue. The puppy’s big paws, round ball, and open jersey spaces are great for crayons or markers, while the net’s crisscross lines may be easiest with a sharp pencil. Try making the little stars yellow and the dust puffs pale gray so the puppy looks like he is zooming through a secret sparkle trail.

The story behind this coloring page

Rizzo’s First Bounce Clouds — Behind the bakery alley, where the warm air smelled like cinnamon rolls, Rizzo set himself a secret dare: three bounces from the chalk curl to the little hoop. Not two. Read the full story →

Behind the bakery alley, where the warm air smelled like cinnamon rolls, Rizzo set himself a secret dare: three bounces from the chalk curl to the little hoop. Not two. Not two-and-a-half. Three. Thump went the ball, squeak went his shoes, and his ears flapped like flags.

On the third bounce, his paw smacked the dusty line. Poof! A tiny cloud popped up and chased his tail. Rizzo gasped. “Did you see that?” he whispered to the pigeons on the gutter. He bounced again—poof, poof! The dust clouds loved the game so much they promised to follow every fast player after that. Ever since, quick feet on a court make little bounce clouds, and if you spot one by Rizzo’s sneakers, you know the secret started with three bounces from the chalk curl.