FICTION

How I Trained My Dog in Ten Days

by Norma Lewis (text) & illus. by Tom Tinn-Disbury
Peter Pauper. Apr. 2020. 32p. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781441332646.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2–In this charming instructional book, an unnamed boy with a lovely mass of black hair struggles with training his adorable, scruffy dog, Scamp. Actually, the boy brags that he has succeeded in training his dog in 10 days, but readers will cop to the fact that every day that passes, Scamp misbehaves, causing the narrator to revise his rules. In the end, Scamp has taken over the boy’s bed and is seen on the last page penning his own book, “How I Trained My Boy.” The boy has brown skin and stylish outfits that change from day to day. With his shaggy mouth, black and gray Scamp resembles a Scottish terrier. Both characters are depicted in cartoonish drawings that further send up the “training” as Scamp’s behavior gets more and more absurd.
VERDICT It’s a draw. Both heroes believe they have succeeded, but the real winners are readers, who will love the shaggy dog tale at the center of this adorably silly story.
Reviewed by Clara Hendricks, Cambridge P.L., MA , May 08, 2020

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