Good Boy

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.