From School Library Journal
Gr 2-4-In contemporary suburbia, fourth-grade Abbie dog-sits for his aunt's Yorkshire terrier. Already picked on by the school bully, he hates the thought of escalated teasing when out in public with a sissy dog. However, bonding begins when he rescues Catullus from being dressed as a doll and, of course, boy and dog are totally attached at book's end when Cat catches a robber and stands up to the bully and his Akita. The tale is sweet, if predictable. Cutesy brand names ("Fabulous Filly" pony toys) are annoying and slang terms ("geek" and "wazzup") will date the conversations. Some unlikely details are distracting, as when spelling-bee words include a number of dog breeds. Kelley's drawings of the pup are precious, but the human characters are less successfully rendered. True dog lovers will enjoy the story, as well as the advice on dog shopping in the afterword.-Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-6. Abbie has a couple of wishes. He wants a more masculine name. He wants to be taller. And he really wants a dog. When Aunt Laura goes away for six weeks, Abbie gets to take care of her new dog. Abbie's hoping it's a big dog. Too bad: when the pooch, Cat, arrives, he finds it's a little Yorkie. What follows is formulaic but still funny: Abbie fights off a bully with the help of some new friends and Cat; and when Cat helps catch a purse snatcher, Abbie sees that size is not as important as he thought. Aunt Laura's return makes Abbie realize what he's about to lose, and ending is sweet but no surprise. Middle-graders will recognize the milieu and the characters, especially as they are portrayed in True Kelley's amusing ink-and-wash illustrations.
Ilene CooperCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved