My Dog, My Hero

by Betsy Byars, Betsy Duffey, Laurie Myers

'My Hero' to Be Eight finalists will compete tonight for the title My Hero. The winner will wear the coveted gold Hero medal. These brave and courageous dogs will each appear with their nominator who will tell their story.

There's Smiley, who fought a giant bull. Bear used his giant paws to save the life of another dog. Munchkin warned a gardener of a poisonous snake about to strike. Old Dog helped find people buried under rubble after a tornado. Buster pulled a baby carriage out of the path of a careening truck. Blue, who had never been known to bark, used his voice to bring help to his wounded master. Dopey's constant barking saved the life of a baby left in a sweltering car. Little Bit brought love and companionship to a nursing home resident.

Each story is told in the unique, sometimes humorous, but always Compelling voice of the person whose life was changed by the heroic action of a very extraordinary dog. Betsy Byars and her daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers have joined forces to create dog stories full of adventure and suspense. Loren Long's paintings capture the heroic dignity of each of the dogs and heighten the drama of their special stories.

Genres: Dogs, Childrens, Chapter Books, Animals

Paperback

First published October 15, 2000

About the author

Betsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!

Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never cared for books before I read this. This book turned me on to reading. For that reason, it will always be one of my favorites.

[Meg Rahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

my son loved it!

It was cute and heartwarming. We think Dopey should’ve been the ultimate hero! But we liked all the stories. :)

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is so cute!

[Dana Boucher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book aloud to my class and they LOVED it! The book is compiled of 8 stories of how particular dogs acted as a hero. I found my kids worried if everyone would even live in some stories as some were intense for them. (No worries...they all have happy endings). At the end we summarized what each dog had done to be nominated for the hero award. The students remembered EVERY story no problem!! I had to recount by looking back in the book as to which dog had done what. In the end, our class voted Blue as the hero. You’ll have to read the book to see what he did! Now the kids are so excited to begin reading Tornado...another dog story by Betsy Byars.

[MaryAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a number of books that posit what dogs think or feel. And a number of them have been good reads and and some have been enlightening as well. What i thought was special about this book was the dog human connection from the perspective of the human but the dogs depicted are very real and recognizable. While some of the proposed dog heroes do do truly outstanding and heroic things mu favorite would be Little Bit and Miss Ophelia.

A note about the author's: Betsy Byars wrote children's books that I read as a child. This book was written with her grown daughters. It is a great book and the mother daughter work product is also delightful for mothers to contemplate..

[Pat Salvatini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Betsy Byars and her two daughters serve as judges for the coveted gold My Hero medal. Eight nominators share their stories of brave and courageous dogs. A portrait and full-colored painting accompany each story, adding additional character and emotions. Readers will enjoy the short chapters, well-written stories, and wide range of situations.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

Continuing my rereading of books I read as a kid, I had actually forgotten I read this book as a kid. I was just poking around the Internet Archive and when I saw the cover I had a flashback to elementary school. I either checked this out from the school library or my parents bought it for me through the Scholastic Book Order form. Ahh memories.

[Kaitiebeth Bartlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it when the dogs saved the people because it was really cute, and that they had he dogs and named them special names.
I didn't like it because everyone was getting hurt and the dogs had to save them.

[Darian - Books With A Chance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book with my nine year old and she gave it 4 stars. She said she would read it again and would have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t for the story about Blue. It grossed her out.
It’s a good book to read for any dog lover out there.

[Nolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wesley’s book club book.

[Tony Petry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really cute book for kids and dog lovers. Eight finalists compete for the title My Hero. The winner will wear the coveted gold My Hero medal, check it out.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An adorable little book of stories about dogs and how brave, faithful and loving they are.

[Vida · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't clear if these heroic dog stories are true, however, they are truly inspiring.

[Beth Saltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in fourth grade and it went so hard

[Jenniffer O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my childhood favorites. I bought it at the book fair in elementary school and read it cover to cover many times

[Jonathon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some shockingly mature topics in the stories, but presented in a way that mature kids can process.

[Kenesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is really something. It's a book of dogs that have done something really heroric. At the end of the book It tells you out of all the dogs listed which one was the real hero. I forgot who the dog hero was but I know that I was disappointed, i seriously thought it would be dog who saved the life of the baby that was locked in a hot car while it's mother was in hair salon.
My Dog My Hero made love dogs even more, it goes to show how much dogs care about people, even if they are just animals. They have feelings, they can sense trouble and, like one of the dogs who never barked until his owner was in the woods laying on the grond bleeding, they can surprise you with qualities you never thought they had or could posses, like the puppy who helped the olderly woman in the group home. He could sense that she was unhappy there and he helped her overcome her unhappiness.

[NewFranklin School · Rating 2 out of 5]

Molly: All the dogs have different personalty's with their own story's.Each one of them saves something or someone.But only one can win the my dog my hero award!Do you what to know who wins





anna: my dog my hero is a great book. I read it in a book group at school and it was very enjoyable. All of the stories are about a dog saving a human or another animal. All the stories are very good. It was kind of easy for me, but still great!!:) -anna

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among eight finalists, a panel of three humans must pick a dog that deserves the title of My Hero. Their stories are retold in short snippets that will appeal to dog lovers, hero enthusiasts, and fans of heart-warming stories. The illustrations tell a story all by themselves and add a great deal of visual interest to the short stories.

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book everyone should have on their shelf. I got this book as a child at the Louisiana Book Festival and I got it signed by all of the authors. I am a dog lover and this book was just what I needed as a child and even today as an adult. These short stories will make you smile and think about just how much our dog's love. Love us, love others, and just love in general.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exciting collection of canine heroism stories will appeal to a variety of young readers, including reluctant ones. This will be a nice addition to any humane education curriculum or unit on heroism.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a great book! It made me smile because some of the people in the book were not big fans of the dogs until something positive happened. Cute...appropriate for third grade kiddos stepping off into chapter books.

[Kendall Shaughnessy · Rating 5 out of 5]

i think it is an inspiring honorable story about dogs tat have served for people in unique ways this is a touching breathtaking cant put it down kind of story and i highly recommend it to young readers who love dogs.

[Madison Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of stories where digs have saved their owner's lives in different situations. I LOVED THIS BOOK! The stories are short, but REALLY good.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 6th graders LOVED this book. It is a great 5th grade level book. Makes a great read aloud for grade 1 and up.

[malik derricotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is about how kids get saved by there dogs.

[Theadora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love hearing about courageous animals.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

not good for the list.

[Lissie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would be good for 3rd graders. It really shows the bond between humans and dogs and I think that is an important lesson for them to know!

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very inspiring. 8 short tales about dogs that were heroic. Great quick read for kids.