Review by Booklist Review
Charlie is full of anxiety. At its worst, he gets the overwhelming urge to vomit. Hope that a pet might help calm him down, Charlie's parents surprise him with a rescue dog named Ralph. While the two initially don't quite hit it off, they eventually bond enough that Ralph follows Charlie to school. The ensuing mayhem catches the attention of Ms. Patty in the school office; she runs a dog club that teaches obedience training, and she invites Charlie and Ralph to join. Through Ms. Patty's lessons, Charlie and Ralph's connection grows and they both start to gain some confidence, working toward entering a local agility competition. But will Charlie's anxiety get the better of him and hold them back from success? Hirsch's over-the-top cartoon artwork nicely escalates the silly moments of Charlie's story while still thoughtfully showcasing the impact of his anxiety. This moving story about friendship, anxiety, and the highs and lows of dog ownership is sure to find wide appeal, especially for kids who liked Raina Telgemeier's Guts (2019) and Megan Wagner Lloyd's Allergic (2021).
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3 Up--Middle school student Charlie Blocher's worries often send him doom-spiraling until he vomits. Thinking a dog might help, his mom brings Ralph home. Charlie loves the idea, but the dog causes more worries: what if his parents decide it's not working out and want to give Ralph back? "We're going to be friends," Charlie determines. Luckily, Ms. Patty from school teaches dog agility training at a local park and invites Charlie and Ralph to come along. In learning to communicate with Ralph, Charlie comes to trust the dog and himself. Ms. Patty even lends Charlie her training notes; as he reads from the notebook, a blue-lined paper version of Ms. Patty appears beside him in the panel. Lively illustrations throughout show Ralph's expressive body language, from a fearful huddle to joyful zoomies, as well as Charlie's "gurgles" and his worries in black thought bubbles with a green background--and sometimes a green face as well. Charlie's parents are supportive, but readers may wonder why he doesn't get professional help for his anxiety. Nevertheless, he takes Ms. Patty's lessons to heart, learning to be calm so Ralph can be calm, and to focus on connection rather than competition. He makes friends with other teams at the Bark Park and even passes along his new knowledge of agility to his parents and interested classmates. VERDICT Guts meets PAWS in a graphic novel about anxiety and agility that will be popular in all graphic novel collections.--Jenny Arch
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A nervous boy and an excitable canine bond through dog training. Charlie's a good kid…though he barfs whenever he's anxious, and he's almost always anxious. As the story starts, he's spiraling over whether he's packed a toothbrush for a class trip, and he vomits before even getting on the bus. That incident keeps him home, but, as he despairs while recovering on the sofa, his mom arrives home with a surprise: Ralph, a rescue dog who might be able to help Charlie with his anxiety. Though Ralph is prone to mishaps and hasn't quite mastered potty training, Charlie embraces him immediately and eagerly assumes responsibility for his care. But it's not quite enough, and when Charlie's parents wonder if he's up for handling the high-strung pup, Charlie marches Ralph straight to training classes. Eventually, Charlie realizes that agility competitions may offer him the opportunity to face his anxiety head-on. At times, the book loses focus, with Charlie's anxiety getting lost amid the info dump about agility training--course design, terminology, competition rules, and the psychology of pet--owner bonding. Still, Hirsch's bubbly, action-filled illustrations offer visual interest while remaining easy to follow; dog lovers and kids dealing with similar issues as Charlie's will appreciate this one. Charlie is tan-skinned; his dog-training peers are diverse in terms of age and skin color. An energetic and educational dog's tale.(Graphic fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
