School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Emma's dog is lovable, but his misbehavior is a serious problem. Using a predictable pattern to tell the story, Demas relates Toby's antics each day of the week and his experiences at dog-training school. Then, in a leap from reality to fantasy, Toby demonstrates that he is a good dog by baking bread, vacuuming the rug, and folding the laundry, among other household jobs. The ending, however, shows that the pup has not given up all of his old ways. The story is great for reading aloud, but the many humorous details in the cartoon-style illustrations make it fun for individual reading as well. Text, illustration, and design all work together to create a delightful story.-Marilyn Ackerman, Brooklyn Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
Emma's dog, Toby, was always in trouble. On Monday he got into the garbage. On Tuesday he ran into the road..." After a couple of stints in obedience school, Toby appears to be reformed, but a walk in the park proves otherwise. There are some leaps in logic, but Toby's antics, shown in the many varied illustrations, will make readers laugh. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Toby is a tan-and-brown pooch of indeterminate breed but distinctly and determinedly naughty behavior. Each day of the week he gets into a different sort of mischief, from eating homemade bread to chewing buttons off a new coat. He is taken to obedience school, where he learns basic commands, but he reverts to mischief-mode as soon as he gets home. After an additional session of residential obedience school, Toby returns home a changed dog: He vacuums, folds laundry and bakes bread all by himself. But no dog is perfect, as illustrated by the final, surprising spread, which shows Toby's exasperated owners at the park, with the dog leash stretching right across the spread. A zigzag cutout in the last page offers a glimpse of Toby, who has escaped right out of the story and onto the endpapers, in a hilarious finale. The short text, repetitive story structure and Jones's simple but amusing cartoon-style illustrations add up to a solid offering in the naughty-dog division, but the boundary-breaking ending is the tail that wags the dog for this canine caper. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Toby, an enthusiastic, goofy, and lovable mutt that belongs to an African American couple and their daughter, Emma, has a schedule for getting into trouble. On Monday he got into the garbage, on Tuesday he ran into the road, on Wednesday he ate food he shouldn't, and so on until Sunday, when he snoozed. His continued misdeeds land him in Ms. Katz's dog-training school. Although Toby performs well in school, he returns to his schedule of misbehaving. After a second week at the school, he becomes a model dog, except for an occasional tug on his leash to chase squirrels. Whimsical cartoon illustrations make Toby's troublesome and dangerous behavior seem humorous and lighthearted, in the same spirit that misbehaving is handled in such stories as David Shannon's No, David! (1998). Children will delight in Toby's antics, especially when he disappears through a die-cut hole on the last page. They will also appreciate Emma's role in helping him become the almost perfect dog.--Enos, Randall Copyright 2009 Booklist
