Goofy, charming and brimming with heart.
Toby is a good dog. Or at least, he was a good dog. Everything changed the day the cat moved in next door. In an apparent act of neighborliness, the cat invites Toby to roam their neighborhood together. Reluctantly, Toby leaves his familiar yard and experiences freedom for the first time. Freedom, however, comes with unintended consequences. For the first time in his life, Toby gets himself into trouble and is branded a bad dog. Although he hates the moniker, Toby can’t seem to shake the bad dog persona. He tries to avoid, ignore, and mitigate the wily cat’s actions and influence, but this feline is pure evil. The cat teases and taunts Toby mercilessly until the dreadful feline gets herself into a bind. And while things improve for a short time, Toby nonetheless proves to be the bad dog he keeps being told he is. True, almost everything is the cat’s fault, but when Toby is dog-napped, being a bad dog might just be exactly what’s needed to save the day.
Mischievous and mirthful, Toby: The (Mostly) True Story of a Former Bad Dog is a lighthearted chapter book suitable for early grade readers. The good-natured story will disarm readers with its gullibly lovable main character. And while the tale is silly and fanciful, the interactions between the animals feel believable, especially if you’ve ever been around a precocious cat. It isn’t impossible to imagine an innocent-looking kitty setting up a good-natured Lab to fail, over and over again. Toby’s example of resilience in the face of repeated adversity provides an opportunity for parents to approach more serious topics with their little ones, such as peer pressure and school bullies. The layout of the book is nice for children looking to expand their reading horizons, as it uses deceptively simple illustrations to effectively convey the mood and tone of each approachable chapter. Goofy, charming and brimming with heart, Toby: The (Mostly) True Story of a Former Bad Dog is a wonderful story that will have kids of all ages howling with delight.
