Toby

by Hazel Mitchell, Hazel Mitchell (Illustrator)

Overview

A heartwarming story about the growing bond between a child and a new pet—inspired by the author’s experience with a rescue dog of the same name.

When a young boy and his father move from one house to another, they decide to adopt a dog from the local rescue shelter. But their chosen dog, Toby, is having a tough time adjusting to his new life outside the shelter—howling all night, hiding fearfully from his new humans, forgetting where to go to the bathroom, and chasing a ball through the flower bed. The boy has promised to train his new companion, and he’s trying his best, but Dad is starting to get exasperated. Will Toby ever feel comfortable with his new family and settle into his forever home, or will Dad decide he’s not the right dog for them after all?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763680930
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/13/2016
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 10.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Hazel Mitchell has illustrated numerous books for children. Toby is her author-illustrator debut. Originally from Yorkshire, England, she now lives in Maine with her husband and a brave rescue poodle named Toby, whose eight-day disappearance drew national attention when the story was shared across social media.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2016
Inspired by her own dog’s adoption story, illustrator Mitchell’s (Kenya’s Art) first book as author centers on a boy who has moved into a new neighborhood with his (presumably single) father. Featuring a pale color scheme dominated by blues and beiges, the mixed-media art, displayed in full-page and panel configurations, dominates the pages. The perfunctory text consists of the boy’s succinct commentary and dialogue with his father. “Well, if you promise to take care of it, we can,” says the man in response to his son’s request for a dog. At a shelter, the child selects Toby, a furry, floppy-eared dog who has difficulty adjusting to his new life, despite the boy’s prodding and training efforts. After the father suggests, “Maybe Toby isn’t the right dog for us after all,” the dog rapidly picks up a few tricks. But while it seems clear that Toby has found his home, the story doesn’t end so much as stop, abruptly. The highlight of this getting-to-know-you tale is Mitchell’s visual channeling of her characters’ emotions, both human and canine. Ages 4–6. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Inspired by her own dog’s adoption story, illustrator Mitchell’s (Kenya’s Art) first book as author centers on a boy who has moved into a new neighborhood with his (presumably single) father...The highlight of this getting-to-know-you tale is Mitchell’s visual channeling of her characters’ emotions, both human and canine.
—Publishers Weekly

The book’s warmth and appeal come from the artwork. Pencil drawings are tinted with a soft palate of watercolor washes and digitally added colors. And while the soft browns, blues, greens, and grays create a subdued, rather melancholy tone throughout the book, both the boy and his lovable dog are smiling by the final scene.
—Booklist

This familiar story with a family cast not often seen in picture books will warm dog-loving hearts.
—School Library Journal

Toby is a pleasing pup.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

09/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—Mitchell honors her puppy-mill rescue dog by modeling her new picture book hero on him. Told in first person by an unnamed boy with new-to-the-neighborhood loneliness, the tale centers on his attempt to convince his single dad to adopt a shelter dog. Toby's initial shyness unfolds to charming exuberance, but his mischief includes floor puddles, a trampled garden, and eyeglass destruction. Fortunately, the boy's commitment to behavior training and Toby's well-timed discovery of a lost shoe create a cuddly conclusion. The graphite and watercolor wash illustrations are digitally colored with muted hues. Mitchell enlists a variety of compositions, from graphic novel-style panels to full spreads. The fluffy white pup's expressions echo the varying moods of the narrative. VERDICT This familiar story with a family cast not often seen in picture books will warm dog-loving hearts.—Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
A timid rescue dog learns to get along with his new owners, a lonely boy and his single dad.When the unnamed narrator and his father move into a new house together, the boy finds a notice from an animal-rescue agency and asks if he can adopt a dog. At the shelter, the boy chooses Toby, a shy, midsized dog with fluffy, white fur. At first Toby is shy and withdrawn, but he gradually learns to like the boy and play with him. The untrained dog then begins to get in trouble around the house, including chewing the dad's glasses, leading to the dad's suggestion that the dog might need to be returned to the shelter. The boy swiftly trains Toby to obey basic commands, and in the conclusion, Toby redeems himself by finding the boy's missing shoe. While the dog is an appealing character and the bonding of child and canine is heartwarming, Toby's obedience training is unrealistically quick, and the lack of guidance and participation by the father in the dog's integration into the family is distressing. Subdued illustrations in pencil and watercolor wash project a melancholy air suited to the somewhat sad little boy, who clearly needs the unquestioning love and companionship of his new pet. The main characters and a neighbor girl are all white, with a dark-skinned mother and daughter shown with their two dogs in a park scene on the final endpapers. Toby is a pleasing pup, but his story doesn't stand out from the crowded pack of dog tales. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews