The Dog Who Lost His Bark

Colfer, Eoin. The Dog Who Lost His Bark
September 10th 2019 by Candlewick Press
Public Library Copy

A small dog is adopted by a family and given to a young boy for Christmas, but things do not go well. The father is rough and mean, and the boy doesn't take to the dog and doesn't treat him well, so the dog eventually ends up in a shelter. When Patrick and his mother and grandfather show up looking for a dog to adopt, the man at the shelter says that this dog requires a lot of care, but Patrick is sure that Oz (as he names the dog) is meant for him. Oz won't bark, and is very scared and reclusive, and also relieves himself in shoes. Through a lot of love and effort, Oz starts to engage more. When Patrick finds out that he and his mother are going to stay permanently with his grandfather because his parents are divorcing (the father is traveling with a band in Australia and has a girlfriend), Patrick wants nothing to do with Oz, since his father is allergic. Eventually, he makes peace with his situation and Oz has a forever home.

https://vote4oz.dog/

Strengths: This has the most heart wrenchingly cute pictures I have seen in a long time. The story is a good one, and I would have definitely purchased this for my own children when they were young.
Weaknesses: There are many times in the text when the narration has ALL CAPS, which was distracting to me.
What I really think: I'm conflicted, because this is a rather young story, but the pictures are so adorable. I will probably purchase for my readers who love dogs, and who are at a level to enjoy books like Diva and Flea.