Jake the Good Bad Dog

Review also includes:

Jake in Action, 978-1905117697

Jake is a well meaning dog, who loves everything about life. The trouble is that Jake does not always see life as adults do. Flowers get uprooted, a football game is disrupted (did I say that Jake is a talented footballer?) and unattended food is dealt with in the way that only pets know how! Butterworth’s full colour illustrations, always something to anticipate with pleasure, complement the texts perfectly.

In Jake the Good Bad Dog, Jake longs to be entered for Crufts although he gets an inkling that it is only for pedigrees who behave themselves. However, his loyalty to a friend attacked by local thugs earns him an unexpected reward, although (horror of all horrors!) a bath takes place beforehand.

Jake in Action betrays a plan to close the local park and sell it off to be developed. The local citizens are horrified, as are their dogs. They band together to save the park, but all is to no avail… until a few Jake related accidents occur in the office and the day is saved!

I particularly appreciated the messages in the books that someone can be loved for themself in spite of endless mischief making, and that goodness is rewarded. Well worth adding to the class library or bookshelf. The books would also be ideal for reading together or sharing at bedtime.