MoreThanWordsLK

Grab your sunglasses and prepare for adventure of catastrophic proportions!  In Teddy the Dog:  Be Your Own Dog by Keri Claiborne Boyle, we meet the leader of the pack himself...Teddy.  He is living the dream life while following his own personal motto of "Be you own dog."

One day, Teddy receives a mysterious package from his Aunt Marge.  He cannot believe his eyes when a cat jumps out of the box!  His world is completely turned upside down.

Teddy decides to teach Fishbreath everything he knows about being his own dog.  Much to his dismay, Fishbreath is not skilled at doing dog-like things.  Daring to think outside the box, Teddy tries his paw at becoming more cat-like.  He soon discovers that the feline life is not for him.  Will Teddy and Fishbreath ever be able to find common ground?

I simply adored this book from start to finish!  The illustrations by Jonathan Sneider are adorable and hilarious.  I especially love the illustration of Teddy and his friends at the local food cart.  The poodle with the empty hot dog bun cracks me up!

This is author Keri Claiborne Boyle's debut children's book and I think she has definitely knocked it out of the park.  The theme of being true to oneself is told beautiful through the eyes of Teddy and Fishbreath.  Each character tries their paw at being something that they're not.  In doing so, they find out that they can still be friends even if they are different.

I also loved the humor that is laced throughout the story.  From "...holy purple poodles..." to Teddy and Fishbreath's paw bump on the final page, I found myself laughing out loud with the turn of each page.  This is a wonderful story for animal lovers of all ages that is sure to become a treasured classic.