Just Me and My Puppy

Little Critter trades his baseball mitt for a puppy. While his baby sister loves it, his parents are quite surprised. Yet they let Little Critter keep the puppy, as long as he takes care of the animal himself. With massive amounts of love, but less effective skill, he cares for his doggy. He feeds him every day (although he spills the food all over the place), he trains him (too bad the dog doesn't actually perform any of the commands), and he gives him a bath (although more water gets on Little Critter than the dog). Most importantly, at the end of every day, Little Critter climbs into bed and cuddles with his puppy. This book retains the sweet humor of the series, employing a child's perspective while gently laughing at it through the show more parent's reactions and the discrepancy between words and pictures. The illustrations are adorable, cartoony, and completely necessary to fully appreciate the story. This particular book is a loving reflection of the relationship between children and pets, yet it lacks some of the depth of other stories in the same series. show less

I like this book because the plot is logical and very relatable. Many children want pets, especially a puppy, they will beg and plead with parents about getting a pet-I know I did as a kid. The main little critter, gets a puppy and has to learn how to take care of him. Through out the story he realizes that it is a lot of work to taking care of an animal, a valuable tool for parents to explain the seriousness of owning a dog in a developmentally appropriate way of a picture book with simplistic text and few words per page. After a few days of walking the puppy, cleaning up the food and remembering to feed it, on one page of the book the puppy chases and bites the mailman (this is also a common stereotype that dogs chase mailmen; some show more students will pick up on this and find it funny). In the end the puppy calms down, all the problems get resolved and the puppy and little critter go to sleep peacefully. This is always a good ending to a children's book because it is happy and complete. show less

Little Critter really wanted a puppy for himself, so he traded his baseball glove for one. His mom and dad were surprised and agreed that he could keep the puppy if he took care of the puppy himself. He then learns to feed, walk, train and love his new puppy. Along the way Little Critter discovers that puppies are a lot of work, but they're definitely worth it in the end.

This is a cute book that teaches students the big responsibility of taking care of pets. I think this book would be a great read in the classroom if you were considering adding a classroom pet to show students the huge responsibility that pets can be.

Little Critter is excited to spend time with his new puppy, exploring their neighborhood and sharing adventures together. Throughout their day, he learns about responsibility, friendship, and the joy that a pet can bring. The story highlights the bond between children and their pets, filled with playful moments.

It’s not just nostalgia, I love Mercer Mayer. This time little Critter has a new puppy. His parents are thrilled….. But as long as critter can take care of the puppy he can keep him. Fun as always. #LitsyAtoZ

Even though Puppy misbehaves, he makes a wonderful pet.

EducatingParents.org rating: Approved