A Very Marley Christmas

Marley Picture Books

by John Grogan, Richard Cowdrey (Illustrator)

With all the excitement of Christmas approaching, it's no surprise that Marley, the lovable pup with a nose for trouble, wants to get in on the action. Anticipating his very first snowfall and Santa's arrival, Marley jumps in to help his family every way he can. But Marley, being Marley, always ends up on the wrong side of right. It's not long before he tears down the twinkle lights, attacks a chain of paper snowflakes, and mistakes the Christmas tree for . . . well . . . his very own indoor bathroom. Will Marley's good intentions ruin everything before Christmas begins? Or will he manage to share some Christmas magic with his family after all? This follow-up to the #1 bestselling Bad Dog, Marley! delivers a heartfelt holiday story with many hilarious Marley mishaps along the way.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Animals, Holiday, Fiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

John Grogan has spent more than 25 years as a newspaper journalist. Previously he worked as a reporter, bureau chief, and columnist at newspaper in Michigan and Florida. He is also the former editor on chief of Rodale's Organic Gardening magazine. His work has won numerous awards, including the National Press Club's Consumer Journalism Award. His first book, Marley & Me, is a number one international bestseller that was as a major motion picture on 2008. His second book is The Longest Trip Home. John lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.

Reviews

[Rod Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I first read this in 2008 I marked it as "Good" in our old book database, but this time around I'm hard pressed to see what I liked. It's a fairly generic Christmas story of an eager young dog accidentally wreaking havoc with the decorations. I guess I enjoyed Marley more when I was closer to the original book and its movie adaptation.

[Jeremy Handley · Rating 1 out of 5]

"I know, a dog does bad things and the family never does anything about it. BUT! let's put the dog doing bad things and the family never does anything about it....around Christmas and we reuse the same artwork on several pages. Charge $17.99."

[Mary · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't strike a very positive chord with me - there was a lot of "no" and "bad" thrown around in the book, and disappointment leading up to Christmas. I felt that this detracted from the holiday the book was supposed to be highlighting. The text was long and small on the page - perhaps it would be best for a family with a very young dog who has yet to learn the rules of behavior.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This post has been updated with my new format,
thanks to the Ultimate Book Bloger Plugin on August 12, 2015.*
We do not have any physical pets at this point in our life, so when not visiting the grandparents and their plethora of felines we entertain ourselves with books of entertainment and pets such as Marley. He's the type of dog that you're glad to spend some time with, and then even more delighted when he goes home, elsewhere. Marley is inquisitive and almost always in trouble and with his first experiences of Christmas and then snow each page is fun, giggle-worthy entertainment.

If you enjoy Marley, you may also enjoy Marley's Storybook Treasury and other quality hardcover stories with Marley such as Marley Goes to School.  I love these hardcover editions. Also if you have some of the younger readers you might be additionally interested in Biscuit's Christmas Storybook Collection and Biscuit's Storybook Collection. These provide hours of puppy fun reading!  

 



 
This review was originally posted on www.CreativeMadnessMama.com

[Word Queen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is pretty much the same story of every Marley book with the timeline just changed. It also didn’t strike much holiday spirit for me. It’s just a book of a dog with very bad behavior because he’s untrained with a family who isn’t responsible enough to train him and prevent him from being a holy terror. There’s a lot of NO and “bad dog” being thrown around and it just didn’t capture the spirit of the season.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not a fan of Marley and Christmas AND Neil Patrick Harris couldn't help it. I found this book to be boring and these story mediocre. I listened to the audiobook and found it to be flat and bland.

[Cosette]

“And this is why we don’t have a dog,” remarked my listener.

[Samantha (WLABB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a picture book, but I was struggling to find a V book for my reading challenge. This was cute.

*ARC provided by publisher

BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I got to help my son get used to the idea of a naughty, bouncy puppy (my sister’s family just got a new pup themselves). Also borrowed it because it was Christmas. Great, fun book, nice concept, prose is fine and the illustrations are fantastic. At least the dog doesn’t die in this one.

9/10

[Samuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story of a family's first Christmas with their new puppy, based on a true story I'm guessing. I feel a little bad giving it only 2 stars, but I didn't find there to be much to the story, the illustrations were good, it lost my 3 year old's attention... Not sure who this is aimed at, but it lost the both of us.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was Marley’s first Christmas and he was a very excited puppy with all the Christmas preparations that were going on. He got into so much trouble trying to help. The only missing ingredient was snow, and two children were worried Santa wouldn’t come without snow. Cute ending and wonderful illustrations.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent artwork and a charming story...though this is the most relaxed family ever!— I’m pretty certain that had Marley been a puppy in my house while I was growing up, he’d have spent a lot of time outside thinking about what he’d done wrong while I cleaned up after him.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Marley is awesome. So glad that Marley can live on thru these books.

[Hope Irvin Marston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any one, young or old, who has met Marley in John Grogan's other books, will love these antics wonderfully drawn by Richard Cowdrey.

[Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Marley! The Illustrations are beautiful!

[Amy Wasson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A baby can paint?! :D

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with illustrations that made me smile.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marley is a puppy that likes to get into trouble. In this story he experiences Christmas for the first time and its a roller coaster ride. Great Christmas read for kids.

[Griselda Alvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute children's book.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awe, poor, sweet doggie in need of some training. Loved all the same.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a good read.

[Kids Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

all the reasons NOT to get a dog- the joy of xmas is lost with the chaos of the dog.

[Erika Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute story for little ones who love dogs!

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Marley + NPH should be a hit, but unfortunately this one missed the mark. Poor Marley tries his best.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gets an "ok" from me and a "liked it" from the kids. I thought it was sort of cute and a little funny, but not really necessary and one we could have skipped. The kids thought it was funny and liked to see all the crazy things the dog did. The two littlest boys (ages 5 and 3) especially loved it.

I didn't get the feeling the family loved the dog and they had mostly harsh words (or actions) for him most of the book. And it just drives me crazy to see such an ill-mannered dog. I've seen too many episodes of the Dog Whisperer (I love you, Cesar) to think it's funny. But that's just me. Other people are more comfortable with that. People like my kids.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a cute story about a puppy named Marley. But I guess it depends on how tolerant you are of a puppy destroying your house. Marley seems to have the run of the house and is destroying everything about decorations and Christmas (including peeing on the tree) Thus was why I rated this book low; I don't think it's okay to teach our children that it's okay for children or pets to tear up and destroy things just because they want to. I mean they will be 'naughty' every now and then as that is a child-baby animals nature but not to this extent. Now with that said; my nearly 4 year old granddaughter giggled at the illustrations of the book as I read it to her.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I Can Tell You: We love Marley here. My kids find him very sweet and funny. They want a dog just like Marley. I think as a Christmas book the books are adorable. It is sweet to think of how a dog would perceive all the changes the holidays bring in most households. My kids thought it was very funny and I have seen my son read it alone a few times as my daughter looks on.

We like big kids books. Lap books where I can read to both at the same time and it fits in "our" laps. Makes it easier for both kids to see it.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

from the text: "But Marley, being Marley, always ended up on the wrong side of right." Everyone's favorite wild child puppy experiences Christmas for the first time--can he help it if he didn't understand what the tree in the living room was for (among other mishaps)? Humorous illustrations by Richard Caudrey are the icing on the cake.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this story isn't as endearing as John Groan's first Marley children's story, Bad Dog, Marley!, this is a very sweet story about a crazy dog and his family as they prepare for Marley's first Christmas. The story is engaging and the illustrations are bright and fairly realistic, and my four year old loves reading about the exploits of Marley.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all the excitement of Christmas approaching, it's no surprise that Marley, the lovable pup with a nose for trouble, wants to get in on the action. Anticipating his very first snowfall and Santa's arrival, Marley jumps in to help his family every way he can. But Marley, being Marley, always ends up on the wrong side of right. It's not long before he tears down the twin.