The Daily Bark: The Puppy Problem

The Daily Bark series #1

by Laura James

The first book in a charming new chapter book series about enterprising young pups who start a neighborhood newspaper, for fans of The Secret Life of Pets.

Gizmo is a city dog, so when he moves to the village of Puddle with his journalist human, he doesn't know WHAT to expect. Certainly not FLOWERS. Or BEES. And he couldn't have even imagined MUD. Luckily he's got Jilly, the wolfhound next door, to show him around.

But Jilly has a problem. Her puppies are going to be adopted by new owners who live far away -- she'll never see them again! Gizmo has got a nose for a story, and a great idea to help Jilly. What if the dogs of Puddle started a newspaper to get the word out and keep these pups closer to home? Stop the presses!

Perfect for fans of The Secret Life of Pets, this is the first book in a charming and humorous new chapter book series -- featuring full-color illustrations -- about the things dogs get up to when their humans aren't looking.

Genres: Animals, Dogs, Chapter Books, Childrens, Friendship

128 pages, Paperback

Published January 18, 2022

About the author

Laura James worked on projects including Veronica Guerin and Slumdog Millionaire before signing herself up for Bath Spa’s MA in Writing for Young People. The adventures of Pug are based on the antics of her very own adventurous dogs, Brian and Florence. Laura lives in the West Country.

Reviews

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This full-color early chapter book is a delight, especially if you're a dachshund fan like me. Also, I live next door to a sausage dog named Gizmo!

[Emily]

I mean, it's cute enough. I was expecting a little something more, though.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

After moving with his person, Granny, to a rural area, the young dachshund Gizmo reaches out to make friends in the community, first meeting Jilly and her breed of four cute puppies. Jilly has a problem, however, because her people want to sell her puppies, sending them far away from her. As Gizmo meets more friends with various specialties, he gets the idea to publish Puppies-for-Sale posters to distribute locally, to make sure the puppies’ new people live close by. Having discovered the power of the press and their own special skills, Gizmo and his friends decide to start a newspaper, The Daily Bark. However, starting the paper brings other problems to light that Gizmo must solve. Laura James and Charlie Adler introduce their new series with a well-developed character in Gizmo, with realistic childhood fears and apprehensions. His ease in making friends might be somewhat harder for some children to relate to, but it allows the story to focus on building on everyone’s strengths to solve problems, rather than relying only on yourself. The story also shows the importance of helping others with their problems. The illustrations are very nice, standard black and white for this age group and reading level, but they also include a beautiful inset of full-colored pages that will delight young readers.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Gizmo was a city dog. A prince of the urban jungle. His parks were plentiful and his lawns were mown. He and Granny owned the streets they....STOP THE PRESSES! GRANNY MAKES SURPRISE MOVE TO THE COUNTRY TO WRITE MEMOIRS! GIZMO SHOCKED.

Premise/plot: Gizmo is adjusting to life in the country. Gizmo soon meets Jilly, a neighbor dog, who has a problem. She's got a litter of puppies. Her puppies will soon be in need of new homes, and, she fears that all of her puppies will be placed far, far, far, far away. Gizmo takes on the mission to find--or to try to find--local homes for each of her pups. Along the way, he'll meet lots of dogs in the neighborhood. And he'll realize that perhaps just perhaps there's a place for him here.

My thoughts: A doggy newspaper is just adorable. The story is adorable, sweet, fun. But what I really enjoyed most of all were the illustrations. The illustrations of all the dogs really bring a special charm to this one. I also love that Gizmo is a dachshund. SO CUTE AND ADORABLE.

[Jacklyn (ReadingBliss) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised to find this book only has a 3.5 star rating when I found it adorable and appropriate for young readers and families. I am a mom of two who is prereading lots of children’s literature before handing them off to my kids, currently, ages 9 (almost an avid reader- I’m nurturing the seed) and 5 (not yet a reader, but dreaming of the day! <3).

At about 120 pages, large font, extra spacing, and some cute illustrations frequently present, I would place this at about a 1st-3rd grade level book depending on how fluent your reader is.

I found nothing inappropriate about this book and would recommend it. The plot surrounds a wiener dog that moves abruptly from the city to the country and befriends his new neighbor Jilly. Jilly has four puppies who have aged and are ready for new homes. The mother is upset bc she doesn’t want her puppies to leave the nest to far away cities where she will never see them again. With the help of her new friend, the two plan to try to find the pups loving, local homes.

[Kasey Giard · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Gizmo the Dachshund moves to a new town, he immediately makes friends with an Irish Wolfhound named Jilly who's faced with a problem: her puppies are about to be sold far away! Together, Gizmo and Jilly search the town for nearby homes for the puppies so Jilly can still visit them easily. If they're going to find new homes in time, it'll take a whole network of furry friends to spread the word.

This is a really cute story about friends and working together. The pages are packed with humor and heart as Gizmo adjusts to his new life in the village and helps Jilly find a way to keep her puppies in town now that they're growing up. It's entertaining, and sure to be a win with little dog lovers everywhere.

Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions my own.

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very cute, especially the illustrations. I will definitely look for further installments for my kiddo. There were a few spots where I feel like the plot jumped forward a bit too quickly. Also, I realize that any book with dogs as the main characters requires the reader to suspend disbelief a bit, but the idea that the one (and apparently only?) dog who didn't know how to read could become a fluent reader with just an afternoon of instruction and coaching was too much for me. If children don't learn that quickly, why would a dog? I think the children who read this book would be better served by the concept that the dog/character worked steadily at something she struggled with and become fluent gradually. Because there's no shame in that whatsoever. That's how most people learn and master concepts.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laura James (Adventures of Pug) begins a new chapter book series for younger elementary school readers with city-bred dachshund Gizmo being resettled into more country living by Granny and quickly meeting next door neighbor Jilly and her 4 pups. Gizmo and Jilly set out to solve the problem of the puppies being sent far away to new homes and as they search for closer alternatives, readers will meet a variety of dogs in the town of Puddle. Illustrations fill each page with cute dogs and cozy sights in town and will keep grade 2-4 students reading until the perfect ending and the decision by several of the barking set to start a newspaper, headed by the multi-talented Gizmo. This engaging series should be a hit with 7-9 year olds. Thanks for the print arc, Bloomsbury Kids.

[Psusan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Daily Bark: The Puppy Problem by Laura James is a super fun story concerning a city dog moving to the country. This is what some what happened to our dog when we rescued him. However, Gizmo doesn’t have all the grandchildren we have to keep him busy. He does have a new dog friend next door with puppies.

Taking on the task of helping to find nearby homes gets him in the mind of a doggy newspaper flyer. Don’t you just love the idea. The author has given children and their grownups a wonderful dog story to share. Kids everywhere will love Gizmo and this story, looking for the next book in the series.

4.5 Stars
The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Doggo and Pupper. Gizmo, a daschund, moves from the city to a small village called Puddle with his human and meets Jilly, an Irish Wolfhound, next door. Jilly and Gizmo become friends as Jilly introduces Gizmo to all the dogs in the village. When his new friend is sad about her puppies moving away, Gizmo comes up with an idea to keep the puppies nearby. There are brightly-colored illustrations on almost every page and with big font and good spacing between the dialogue-heavy lines, it's a great beginning chapter book for animal fans, especially fans of Doggo and Pupper.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great new kids series that is fun, "easy to read," and enticing for the younger reader. I was excited to find out about the homes for the puppies so I really think kids will. Also when the dogs, with all their different interests and personalities, begin a newspaper, I was sold. I also think it's great to reintroduce the idea of a newspaper to younger readers because so many don't know what one is in our technical world.

[Amanda Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an absolutely sweet and enjoyable story about a city dog that moves to the country. Gizmo meets a new friend in the country who has 4 puppies that she doesn't want to move to far away homes. Gizmo's owner, Granny, is a journalist. He uses Granny's typewriter to solve the day. Young readers that are ready for their first chapter books will love this tale.

[Hannah O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete with great illustrations, a heart-warming friendship, an aspiring writer, and a dash of mystery, this children's book is perfect for animal-lovers who like to lend a helping hand to friends new and old.

[Sam Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super clean read! A precious story. No off colored language. There’s one account of the word stupid. “I don’t want you to think I’m stupid.” But other than that good read. Will check out the others in this series 😃

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a perfect early chapter book! So cute!

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought it was a little funny that Gizmo thought Jilly was a tree because her legs were so long. It was also funny when a paper was stuck to his bottom.

[Book Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read July 18, 2024-July 19, 2024

The sausage dog made a friend and saved the day. The puppies were cute.

[blueygurl2016 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. This was a quick little read but not super interesting or anything. The illustrations were kinda cute though.

[Stephanie ((Strazzybooks)) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute first installment of an easy-reader series. It centers on dogs forming a newspaper. The dog breeds and personalities fit their jobs perfectly.

It’s a fun and lovely little read, and I look forward to the rest of the series. Recommended for early chapter book readers, and dog lovers.

[Amy Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Puppy Problem is the first installment of The Daily Bark. It is a cute story about a dog that moves to the country with his owner who happens to be an author. He meets a mama dog that has just had puppies and her owners want to find new homes for the puppies that could potentially be far away so they devise a plan to keep the puppies close by. I read this book with my 9 year old and we both enjoyed the book and illustrations. We can't wait for the next installment of The Daily Bark.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.