Don't Trust Cats: Life Lessons from Chip the Dog

by Dev Petty, Mike Boldt (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Chip the Dog is back with more invaluable life advice. First, it was a necessary reminder not to eat bees, now it’s an equally necessary Don’t Trust Cats. With humor that will resonate with dog and cat lovers alike, this is a joy to read and re-read.

"Chip the dog warns other pups that cats are not their friends, among other nuggets of wisdom"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593706787
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Series:	Life Lessons from Chip the Dog , #2
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	17,942
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD590L (what's this?)
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, Elmore the Christmas Moose, Don't Eat Bees, Don't Trust Cats, Find Fergus, Bad Dog, and the New York Times bestseller Just One Bite by Camila Alves McConaughey and Adam Mansbach.

Editorial Reviews

"A fun and exuberant picture book that lots of young readers and their grown-ups will enjoy."—School Library Journal

"What a wag!"—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

02/01/2024

PreS-Gr 3—This follow-up to Don't Eat Bees brings more advice from Chip the dog, a noted expert on living the best life one can. Who does a very good, very smart dog trust? According to Chip, cats are the most untrustworthy of all, unless they have snacks. Squirrels and birds are trustworthy—they're laughing with dogs, not at them. Persons are "trustastic" even if sometimes they don't tell the truth, like when a trip to "the park" turns out to be the veterinarian's office. The artwork is often just as explanatory as the text in this funny book. On one page, Chip explains that criminals that come to the door should not be trusted; Boldt's exuberant scenes show two Girl Scouts trying to sell cookies and Chip in full guard-dog mode. Interpreting the pictures is a big part of the fun for readers or listeners. The sneaky cat and Chip's family show readers that maybe Chip isn't quite the expert he thinks he is. There really is no story here; this is a list of things Chip, for one, does not trust. But it's a funny, entertaining read. VERDICT A fun and exuberant picture book that lots of young readers and their grown-ups will enjoy.—Debbie Tanner

School Library Journal

2023-10-07
A very good, very smart dog explains how readers can be their best doggy selves.

Chip, the protagonist of Don’t Eat Bees (2022), is back with some more lessons. First and foremost? “Don’t trust cats!” It doesn’t matter if they’re fluffy or stripy, big or small. But our hero assures us that there are plenty of things we can trust—like one’s nose. Of course, our narrator may be a bit too trusting; Chip emphasizes that “Those birds and squirrels you try so hard to catch? You can trust them. They’re laughing with you, not at you.” (Readers may beg to differ.) Boldt’s views of a wide-eyed pooch with a massive, shiny nose enthusiastically rolling in muck, shredding mail as it drops through a slot, and bounding up to a porcupine and then a skunk in expectation of meeting new friends steal the show. But Petty gets in quite a few good zingers, too—punctuating a tally of “trustastic” things like the fire hydrant (“It’s always been there for you”) and Grandpa, who may cheat at cards but always has a doggy treat ready. Don’t trust the vacuum, though, advises the stubby-tailed sage, and ESPECIALLY don’t trust cats: “Nohow, no meow.” A sly-looking cat and an olive-skinned human family add comical background reactions to the hilariously mismatched maxims and misdeeds of this canine life coach.

What a wag! (Picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews