May I Pet Your Dog?: The How-to Guide for Kids Meeting Dogs (and Dogs Meeting Kids)

The How-to guide for Kids meeting Dogs (and Dogs meeting Kids)

Scared of that barking dog around the corner? Worried about your preschooler trotting up to strange dogs? This cheerful book is an excellent guide for children who are nervous – or not nervous enough - around strange dogs.

Narrated by “Harry”, a friendly dachshund, it reminds children to always ask before petting a strange dog, and teaches them how to approach an unfamiliar dog – and avoid a mean one! A handy and fun title for children and adults.

Verdict: A nice book on dog safety - if you already have a title on this subject, it's not something you need multiples of, but if you don't have anything, this is a good choice.

ISBN: 978-0618510344; Published April 2007 by show more Clarion; Borrowed from the library show less

There are many reasons why I like this book. The main reason I like this book is for the purpose. The purpose of this book was written for young children who are becoming more and more aware of their surroundings. These young children are exposed to potentially dangerous situations, like encountering a stray dog. Stephanie Calmenson wrote this story in the point of view of a little dog named Harry. Young children would find this story appealing and entertaining because throughout the whole story Harry is the one narrating. This makes the story humorous and lovable. I also enjoyed the plot of the story because there were many different elements covered. Not only did the book present friendly dogs, but also stray/wild, protective, and show more bitter dogs. The book gave clear, explicit instructions on what to do in each situation. At the end of the story, Harry and his friends presented in the story gave helpful, smart tips when encountering a dog. This book would be a great read for young children and their parents when learning about dogs. Young children tend to be aggressive and pushy so reading this story to your young ones would be a good idea. show less

I really loved this book because I think that teaching safety with dogs is a subject that is overlooked, and there are far too many accidents/ injuries that occur that could have been prevented. It teaches the children the do's and don't's of interacting with dogs. I think it is especially important because it also touches upon sight dogs and how it is essential to not disturb them while they are working.

I enjoyed reading this story. It's a mixture of informational and fiction. Although the dog is the narrator, which makes this a fictional story, the dog is sharing information about how to approach a dog and when not to approach a dog.

The illustrations and text work great together to represent important information about how to approach dogs. I like that the illustrations clearly represent what the narrator is talking about. This is a great way to get the point across in an efficient manner. For example, when the child is about to pet a puppy, the puppy is jumping in the air on his leash.

The text is very important. The text says, "She's jumping up to lick you. She's misbehaving!" and "Her owner will tell her what to do". The show more illustration also uses speech bubbles which is fantastic. The owner of the jumping dog says, "Twigs, sit! Good dog! You can pet Twigs now." The illustration now shows the same dog sitting. Now it is safe for a child to pet the dog.

The main message of the story is to only approach dogs at certain times and make sure to be gentle with them. The main idea is to inform readers of safety measures in approaching dogs without getting hurt or hurting the dog. show less

This book is a step-by-step for petting our four-legged furry friends. There is a wide variety of dogs mentioned, some are calmer and others are hyper. But it gives a great structure on how to properly greet a dog no matter what personality it has. This is a very simple read that is perfect for younger elementary kids.

This picture book gives step-by-step instructions for what to do when approaching a strange dog. Solid advice supported by illustrations and numerous examples makes for a useful (and much-needed) guide.

This book is great at introducing boundaries and personal space, it not only explains way in which you interact with dogs, but also the owners. This would be a great book for young children.