Don't Lose Mr. Cuddles: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog

by Dev Petty, Mike Boldt (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Chip is back! The iconic pup has more misadventures on deck, mainly the loss of dear Mr. Cuddles. Seriously, where is Mr. Cuddles?

Chip the dog from Don't Eat Bees and Don't Trust Cats is back, but his best stuffie Mr. Cuddles is MISSING! Any child who has ever lost a toy will relate!

Chip and his best friend Mr. Cuddles have been through a lot together, including that terrible time when Mr. Cuddles had to go in the washing machine. The two are inseparable, but now . . . Mr. Cuddles is GONE! Where could he be? How will Chip cope without his constant companion? And what role did Mittens the cat have in this mystery?

Young readers will love following Chip's feverish search for Mr. Cuddles, which ends with a happy, fluffy, and super-silly reunion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593900758
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/06/2025
Series:	Life Lessons from Chip the Dog
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

DEV PETTY is the author of many books for kids, including I Don’t Want to Be a Frog, Don't Eat Bees, Don't Trust Cats, and Elmore the Christmas Moose. She lives in Berkeley, California, with her husband, daughters, dogs, a snake named Boots, and two cats.

MIKE BOLDT is a New York Times bestselling children's book creator who lives in Alberta, Canada, with his wife, three children, a dog, and a few cats. His books include I Don’t Want to Be a Frog, Don't Eat Bees, Don't Trust Cats, Elmore the Christmas Moose, Find Fergus, Bad Dog, and the New York Times bestseller Just One Bite by Camila Alves McConaughey and Adam Mansbach.

Editorial Reviews

A Junior Library Guild Selection

★ "Serious yet silly, Chip the dog shares the wonders of doghood and the importance of having a special someone. . . . Readers will relish the doggone humor and joyous artwork with a canine point-of-view."—School Library Journal, starred review

"Chip the dog offers further important guidance for readers of all species to chew on. . . . Fetching tips for personal and domestic harmony."—Kirkus

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2025

Gr 2–4—Chip the dog can get through all the dogness in life with his best buddy, Mr. Cuddles, a purple stuffed rabbit. Mr. Cuddles is special, unlike all the other balls, toys, or bones, and he is irreplaceable. Suddenly, Chip's worst nightmare occurs—Mr. Cuddles disappears. Chip is frantic and heartbroken, searching high and low, far and wide. Something does not seem right as the clues begin to add up, leading Chip to the culprit. Boldt's illustrations perfectly accompany the telling; readers will feel like Chip the dog is speaking directly to them on his acquired dog knowledge. The great detail and fusion of comical snapshots of what Chip is facing with the disappearance of Mr. Cuddles are enticing and humorous. Serious yet silly, Chip the dog shares the wonders of doghood and the importance of having a special someone. VERDICT Readers will relish the doggone humor and joyous artwork with a canine point-of-view.—Kaitlin Srader

School Library Journal

2025-01-18
Chip the dog offers further important guidance for readers of all species to chew on.

Like life, “dogness can be complicated.” So, Chip observes, it’s vital to have a “special someone” with whom to share one’s hopes and dreams—in this case, a purple plush bunny companion named Mr. Cuddles. While it’s OK to lose balls or bones, which can be replaced, the bunny’s disappearance touches off a histrionic descent into guilt and despair. And no, a replacement plushie offered by Chip’s olive-skinned human family won’t butter the biscuit. “Ignore ALL my advice!” the despairing doggy wails, referencing Petty and Boldt’s previous installments in the series. “Eat bees, eat fire, trust cats. Just don’t lose Mr. Cuddles!” Readers will feel for this devastated, drooping pooch, at least until anguish gives way to suspicion when a household search turns up a trail of kitty treat crumbs and unfurled toilet paper. Could the culprit be a certain…cat? Uh-oh. That the ensuing denouement leads not to violence but to a glad reunion and a cozy general snuggle suggests that Chip is a worthy model for conflict resolution while testifying to the fact that our hero really is a “smart dog.”

Fetching tips for personal and domestic harmony.(Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews