Thursday, December 28, 2023

Book review: Jake the Growling Dog

Jake the Growling DogJake the Growling Dog 
by Samantha Shannon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a bit of a weird one as it appears to be a republish, under a slightly different name, with updated illustrations and text. Regardless it’s still quite cute. About a dog named Jake (based on a real dog!) who growls and scares everyone around him. Ironically my own pup, a pitbull mix rescue, likes to growl when he plays with other dogs and sometimes they are scared off. So to say I loved the premise would be an understatement.
One section of the story was a bit odd to me. The animal that helps others see Jake for who he is (a sweet pup who wants to play and isn’t scary) is a squirrel. Now I don’t know how much you know about dogs and squirrels but this is an odd choice given most dogs pen-chance for chasing squirrels. It might have been better had our helpful animal been a deer, owl, or an animal Jake would be less
likely to chase and win against? For thus I have knocked down one star as I just find it too implausible for a squirrel to be the one to calm (and help) a dog.
Overall however this is cute! Perfect for a child who looks different from the other children and feels left out.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

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1 comment:

Leonore Winterer said...

Maybe that's what gave Jake away - the squirrel found it odd to *not* be chased for once?