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mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
Edit: 2018, I totally forgot to post my full review for this one. Oopsie. I may be re-reading it soon.
This was a cute book, about a dog and his plan to save this family that is falling apart. Yep, falling
apart, without the help of the mom no one can do anything. It was quite fun to see what the dog's plans were and how hard he worked to get everything right again. Betty was definitely my favourite character, I loved how wise she was. The book also had gorgeous illustrations. I wish there were more of them. :)
Though I did think it was a bit weird that a girl, 8 (but almost 9, as gets repeated MANY MANY TIMES), and a her dog have to do everything for her family. The dad was pretty useless, and I also couldn't sympathise with the mom and her decisions. I get that you want to do something else for a while, but then maybe you shouldn't have gotten married/gotten kids. :|
This was a cute book, about a dog and his plan to save this family that is falling apart. Yep, falling
apart, without the help of the mom no one can do anything. It was quite fun to see what the dog's plans were and how hard he worked to get everything right again. Betty was definitely my favourite character, I loved how wise she was. The book also had gorgeous illustrations. I wish there were more of them. :)
Though I did think it was a bit weird that a girl, 8 (but almost 9, as gets repeated MANY MANY TIMES), and a her dog have to do everything for her family. The dad was pretty useless, and I also couldn't sympathise with the mom and her decisions. I get that you want to do something else for a while, but then maybe you shouldn't have gotten married/gotten kids. :|
lannthacker's review against another edition
4.0
An absurd delight - as fun for adults as for children. For fans of silliness, or those with families in transition.
winelovingbooknerd's review against another edition
5.0
I read this with my 8 and 11 year old and we all loved it! Such a cute story about a dog that adopts a family that is in the middle of a bit of a crisis. Ma Peachey has decided to give up mothering. She no longer wants the thankless job of cooking, cleaning and reminding the family of all they need to do and is instead going to meditate and perfect her yoga skills (a woman after my own heart). Thankfully, McTavish comes along to save the day.. Ideal for ages 6-12.
Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and Candlewick for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
hidingzeus's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent! This made me giggle the whole way through. I loved it. Short, but sweet.
babayagareads's review against another edition
4.0
The mom is a bad bitch, and I, too, would have an affair with my yoga instructor had this dog not intervened.
carmenhartjensen's review against another edition
4.0
Love the underlying theme about appreciating your mother.
ashleylm's review against another edition
3.0
(I received this book for free through an early reviewer program).
This was a perfectly pleasant, forgettable book. If you stumble over it on a shelf at the cottage, by all means, read it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire it. Granted, I'm a 53-year-old, so not the target market, but I read heavily in the Children's Literature arena and I know there are more exciting options out there.
The author is attempting to do two main things, and neither one is carried off with any great panache or skill.
The first would be to maintain a somewhat whimsical, eccentric tone (e.g. Roald Dahl), such as the mother shirking her emotional labour to concentrate on yoga, but these attempts are inconsistent, unbelievable, and not particularly exciting. The second is to demonstrate the dog's amazing ability to fix to the family by initiating a series of plans--but again, not particularly exciting (an example: he fixes the family's inability to do laundry by picking up their clothes and moving them by his bed, thereby encouraging them to clean up after themselves. Now there's a page-turner!)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
This was a perfectly pleasant, forgettable book. If you stumble over it on a shelf at the cottage, by all means, read it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to acquire it. Granted, I'm a 53-year-old, so not the target market, but I read heavily in the Children's Literature arena and I know there are more exciting options out there.
The author is attempting to do two main things, and neither one is carried off with any great panache or skill.
The first would be to maintain a somewhat whimsical, eccentric tone (e.g. Roald Dahl), such as the mother shirking her emotional labour to concentrate on yoga, but these attempts are inconsistent, unbelievable, and not particularly exciting. The second is to demonstrate the dog's amazing ability to fix to the family by initiating a series of plans--but again, not particularly exciting (an example: he fixes the family's inability to do laundry by picking up their clothes and moving them by his bed, thereby encouraging them to clean up after themselves. Now there's a page-turner!)
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s).
crwof's review against another edition
4.0
Read aloud when we didn't have a better, longer story to read. Children enjoyed the dog and it was quick and painless for the adult reader.