My Dog Toby

by Andrea Zimmerman, David Clemesha, True Kelley (illustrator)

Toby is a good dog. He has long droopy ears and big brown spots. Every day he waits by the window until his beloved owner comes home from school. They play outside and run around the yard. Toby even sleeps by her side at night. He's a kid's best friend.
All the other dogs on the block know how to sit, roll over, and fetch. But Toby doesn't know how to do any of those things. Will he ever, ever learn to do a trick? With some patience and lots of love, anything is possible. •Endearing characters who celebrate unconditional love between a child and her first pet • Popular illustrator of bestselling dog books, including Three Stories You Can Read to Your Dog

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Dogs, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2000

About the author

Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha are married and have created several children’s books together, including Digger Man, Fire Engine Man and Trashy Town, an ALA Notable Book. Zimmerman was born in Ohio and grew up in New York, Utah and California. When she was young, she loved exploring nature, reading comic books, and riding her horse. She studied fine arts for children in college, then later went back to school at UCLA and became a dentist. Clemesha grew up in England and moved to the United States when he was 16. He always loved playing tennis, drawing and reading. He studied English in college and became an elementary school teacher. Zimmerman and Clemesha live in San Diego, California, with their three sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/andrea...

Reviews

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harriet being such a cat person surprised me when she went through a brief run of dog books. One of her picks in that time was My Dog Toby by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha.

Toby is a beagle. He's affectionate but untrained. The protagonist's brother says he's dumb. She thinks her brother is dumb. But she has to admit that all her friends' dogs can do at least one trick.

Instead of giving up, she decides to teach Toby one trick. Sit! Sit! Sit! and so forth. Persistence pays off, showing that even old dogs can learn new tricks!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the Basset Hound Genre, this is the best of the best! And it's a cute picture book even if you don't live with a hound.

[Mya · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was a funny book. I like it.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

While this book features a cute dog and a loving owner uses the word "dumb" to describe the dog and her brother repeatedly making it inappropriate for small children.