Toby

Reviewed by: Ann Marie Townsend - South Berwick Public Library, South Berwick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 11, 2016

Review

After moving into a new house, a boy asks his father if they can adopt a dog from a shelter. The boy selects Toby, brings him home, but the dog needs time to adjust, bond and needs to be trained. Time,frustration and mishaps make the father suggest that maybe Toby wasn't the dog for them, but boy and dog work hard for a happy ending. Illustrated with graphite and watercolor wash and colored digitally are well done and extend the text. Based on Mitchell's own adoption of the "real" Toby this is a realistic look at adopting a dog and the work that goes into training a new dog.I did wonder why the author used a family moving as a time to ad a dog to the household, as a stable, settled time is best to bring a new pet home. This is the first book written by Maine illustrator Mitchell. Useful to read to a child before bringing a dog home for realistic expectations.

Overall Book Score: very good