The Boy and the Dog Tree by Fiona Wood illustrated by Judy Watson

"You desire to know why I have come to you. It is simply this: when called upon by a child in need I emerge from the tree ... Your sadness and fears called me. .... You await the return of your parents and fear for their safety. You are tormented daily by your enemy."

Begin with the title. The boy - his name is Mitch. The Dog Tree. There is a tree in the bushland behind gran's house that looks, well a little, like a dog. Mitch loves dogs. He has wanted one his whole life. He also loves this tree. Climbing the tree after he and his sister move in with Gran, he makes a wish that will change his life and help him adjust to the complex challenges and changes in his life.

Characters:

Mitch is unhappy about moving to a new city - Sydney to Melbourne. He is worried about fitting in at a new school. He desperately misses his parents who are overseas shooting a movie. And all he has ever wanted is a dog - a dog of his own. 

Mitch has a fantastic younger sister named Regi. I love the way her personality is totally the opposite of Mitch and yet he has no resentment about this. 

Gran is also wonderful. She is a scientist but I was entirely wrong about her reaction to Mitch's story about the arrival of his dog and I cheered over the scene where she meets Argos. Gran is also, and I love this discovery, a fantastic cook. 

Dido is a great friend. She understands the dynamics of the peer group and is also brave enough to help Mitch (spoiler alert) when he needs help to rescue Argos.

Argos has lived many lives. He has a delightful formal and old-fashioned way of speaking. He uses words like 'tarry not'; 'twas upon a platter'; and 'thus do I know'. He is also very wise and of course a truly loyal friend. "Mitch could name a hundred dog breeds, but he'd never seen anything quite like this wild, majestic creature. ... It was a bit like a wolfhound, but more solid. Fur as black as liquorice, tanged and long. Up on its hind legs it would tower over the tallest of men." Argos also makes a couple of very astute comments about adults and their use of mobile phones! He also smells wonderful. 

Seb Anders is the class bully. If you have encountered bullies in other books be warned Seb is among the worst. He takes every opportunity to taunt and hurt Mitch. There is an early scene in the book where Seb takes Mitch's lunch box and he tips everything into the dirt and then stomps on the food. 

Ms Zwerger their teacher has decided the class will live 'unplugged'. Such a terrific idea. You will enjoy reading about the activities she sets her class. 

I feel so very lucky to have read this book a few weeks before it is due to be released (3rd March). Huge thanks to Gleebooks Kids for entrusting me with an advance reader copy of The Boy and the Dog Tree. I know it is early in 2026 but I am going to predict this book will be devoured by young readers aged 9+ and it surely will be selected as a 2027 CBCA Younger Readers Notable title - YES it is THAT GOOD.

Bookseller blurb: Magical. Whimsical. Wild. This exceptional middle-grade novel about the special bond between a boy and his dog will set your heart free.

'So, are you my dog?' Mitch asked, in a whisper.

'No,' said Argos. 'But you are my boy. For a time.'

Mitch's life has been uprooted. Instead of the whole family moving to a new city, Mitch and his sister are staying with their gran, while their parents have been delayed working on other side of the world. He's struggling to fit in at school, with the resident Grade Five bully picking on him. The one thing that would make his life better is a dog, if only he could persuade his parents. Then Mitch discovers an old oak tree that seems to ... growl. And one night, a huge, strange dog-like creature emerges from the trunk. His name is Argos. He has been bound in the tree by 'history, mystery, magic and chance', and he is here, for a time, to help Mitch find his way. But being different can be dangerous, especially for a wild and wilful beast like Argos ... While at first Mitch looks to Argos for friendship and protection, there comes a time he must stand up for this magical creature who has changed him forever. A heart-lifting tale of friendship, courage and belonging by three-time CBCA Award-winning author Fiona Wood.

It was wonderful read that Mitch is a boy who is 'allowed' to express his emotions:

"When he was as high up as he could go and settled in a comfortable crook (of the tree) he let himself cry. This was quite the year of crying. He had honestly expected to be crying less as he got older not more. These days he cried because of how he felt ... In the categories of crying, today was a simple hold-it-together-all-day-then-let-it-out cry. It didn't last long and he felt much better afterwards."

UQP have some excellent teacher notes and discussion questions to use with The Boy and the Dog Tree including suggesting students could research the names Argos; Calliope; and Ceberus. 

The teachers notes list all these themes for The Boy and the Dog Tree: 

• Friendship 

• Belonging 

• Confidence 

• Courage 

• Compassion 

• Integrity  

• Loyalty  

• Perspective 

• Prejudice 

• Bullying 

• Magic 

• Dogs

I am not usually a fan of endorsements but Peter Carnavas is SO right when he says: ‘A beautiful book, filled with courage, magic and a huge ancient dog to wrap your arms – and your heart – around.’

I was interested to read an interview sent to me by UQP with the author Fiona Wood (she previously has won the Older Readers category in CBCA Book of the Year Awards for Wildlife; Cloudwish; and Take Three Girls). She says her inspiration for her middle grade book came from The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis; Five Children and It by E Nesbitt; and her first encounter with a magical tree was The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton. As I read The Boy and the Dog tree I also thought of another classic - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce. 

"The genesis of this story was an old oak tree whose trunk was gnarled into a shape that reminded me of a dog. Every time I walked past it, I wondered when, how and why a dog - or the spirit of a dog - might be trapped within the tree."

Companion books:

One Dog and His Boy

The eyes and the Impossible

Elf Dog and Owl Head

A Different Dog

Talking to Alaska

The Hounds of Penhallow Hall

The Dream Dog

The issue of bullies looms large in this book. I appreciated the way Fiona Wood gives her readers a small glimpse into why Seb might behave like this in the scene where we witness the actions of his mother the Mayor but she doesn't 'reform' or 'redeem' him. Please note some of these books below contain confronting scenes of bullying and are intended for an older audience:

Swashbuckler

The Night Bus hero

The Truth as told to Mason Buttle

Running my own race

Chapter 39 has a tender scene where Mitch thinks about the time his dad helped him overcome his fear of the dark. I know this is a picture book for younger children but I immediately thought of this favourite:

Martin Waddell

And the scene (sorry another spoiler) when the family go to the dog home or rescue centre is sure to remind you of this classic Australian picture book:

Let's get a Pup

Mouse and his Dog by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko illustrated by Wallace West

"A heart is a muscle. It gets stronger the more you use it."

Think about this: 

dogs + robots + shedding a few tears + a happy ending for everyone = The Perfect Book

And this equation you can add a smart little mouse named Mouse who has a hugely compassionate heart.

If you have read the first book in this series you will remember the Reading Buddies Program run by Mr Molanari. In this second book kids still come to Dogtown - the home for stray dogs - and so you will cheer when you meet a young girl named Saanvi. She somehow knows there are special dogs who have been banished to the basement. These dogs are the rejects. They are not considered suitable for the Reading Buddy program and in fact many of them will be 'put on the list' (you might be able to guess what this means). The reject robot dogs also have a terrible fate awaiting them known as e-waste. Saanvi is drawn to Buster. He is a golden retriever but every time someone takes him home he accidentally messes up and he ends up being bought back to Dogtown. Mouse, his friend, is desperate to keep Buster safe. Surely he can go and live with Saanvi? Oh no - Buster's name is 'on the list' - there is no time - Mouse and his friends Stewie (another reject dog) and Smokey (a malfunctioning robot dog) must team up and get Buster away from Dogtown tonight!

Every dog lover needs to read this book or even better ask mum or dad to read it to all the family! No wait a minute - read the first book then this one - and get ready for a wonderful and very memorable reading experience from this sequel.

A few text quotes:

"I want to be one of those brave mice you read about in books. A mouse in a friar's robe brandishing a sword, a mouse in short sleeves paddling a canoe, a mouse in a pullover sweater who saves a princess."

"Bouncebacks are hard on dogs. They think they have a new home with balls and bones and doggy beds with their names on them, and then they find themselves back on the hard cement, with nothing to chase but their own tails."

"I'm fluent in Dog as you know. But dogs can't grasp the complex mix of screeches, squeals and squeaks of Mousespeak. So, I hold up my end of the conversation with my own personal sign language."

Publisher blurb: Mouse lives in Dogtown, a shelter for real dogs and robot dogs, where the kibble is plentiful, and the rafters hide a secret community of mice. His unlikely best friend is Buster, a big-hearted real dog who attracts trouble like a burr to fur. Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse embarks on a bold quest with three of Dogtown’s “unadoptables”: Determined to help Buster find his forever home, even if means losing his best pal, Mouse embarks on a bold quest with three of Dogtown’s “unadoptables”: Buster; Stewie, a huge, lovable dog whose ex-owner said he was mean; and Smokey, a robot dog hardwired with a smoke alarm he can’t control. But Mouse is just a mouse, and the world is big and complicated. How’s a little guy supposed to find homes for the dogs he loves?

Listen to an audio sample. Read an extract here. And read the Kirkus Review.

Books mentioned in Mouse and his Dog

• The Borrowers
• If you Give a mouse a Cookie
• Stuart Little
• Junie B Jones
• Green Eggs and Ham
• Where the Sidewalk Ends
• The Tale of Despereaux
• The Mouse and the Motorcycle
• Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH

Dogtown

This is what I said about Dogtown back in 2013 - and all of this is also true for Mouse and His Dog:

Every page of this book made me sigh with happiness. ... thank goodness I found Dogtown which I read in one gulp! This book would be a terrific class read aloud for Grade 2 or 3 and a wonderful book to share in a family - the chapters are mostly only one or two pages. I highly recommend you add this book to your library or Christmas book shopping list.

Dogtown by Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko illustrated by Wallace West

"Your heart is a muscle. 

It just grows stronger the more you use it."

Dogtown, the home for stray dogs, is now home to Chance. Months ago, her loving family left for a sabbatical and they couldn't take their loved dog - Chance. The family did employ a dogsitter to look after her in their home but this girl did not love dogs and when her boyfriend moved in things became violent and unbearable for Chance. There are other sad details to this part of the story but I will let you discover these for yourself. 

As the story opens, we meet Chance she now lives at Dogtown. Luckily the Manager of the facility has quite quickly decided Chance is a lucky dog. She doesn't know that a tiny mouse (great friend to Chance) made sure this human would think Chance was special. So Chance is free to wander about Dogtown. She is does not have to be confined to a cage. This means she is the perfect narrator - able to describe the other dogs at the shelter and watch all the comings and goings. Unfortunately, this shelter also takes in robot dogs. You will laugh when you read that they even have fleas.

"Most of the robot dogs at Dogtown were known by their breed names: eDog, iDog, Aibo, RoboRover, or Pup1000. But those aren't real dog breeds like pug and pointers and Pekinese. Nothing is real about a metal dog. ... Besides a lot of them are in bad shape by the time they get to Dogtown.Tails broken, wires poking out, charger missing. Nothing sadder than a plugged in pooch who can't wag his own tail. He'd go straight to the e-waste heap." Hear this on the audio sample.

One of these robot dogs is very strange. He is not broken. He sits in his cage reading his instruction manual. Then one day some kids arrive at the dog shelter. They are part of a reading program and one boy, Quinn, is somehow able to bond with Metal Head. Over time the little boy learns to read his favourite book - Green Eggs and Ham. But then the book is destroyed and Quinn is no longer allowed to come to the shelter. It turns out one of the dogs - Buster - has chewed it up. Why? Because Metal Head has been given a top position in the shelter which means he, and other robot dogs, are likely to be adopted by loving families well before they choose a live dog. Bottom line - jealousy!

If a dog is left at the shelter for too long their name goes on a List. All of the dogs at the shelter love an old Saint Bernard named Geraldine. Her name is on the List. Metal Head seizes his opportunity. He makes a bargain. If he can ensure Geraldine is adopted, Chance and Mouse must help him escape. Metal Head is desperate to be reunited with his young owner James. The next scenes reminded me of the mayhem of Toy Story - I raced through these chapters hoping little Chance would find her all-important happy ending. Could there be a way Chance could find her precious family again?

Bookseller blurb: A story of kindness and finding a home. Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. When two dogs - and a mouse - embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way. ... Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since his owners unwittingly left him with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.

Every page of this book made me sigh with happiness.  I have been a small reading slump so thank goodness I found Dogtown which I read in one gulp! This book would be a terrific class read aloud for Grade 2 or 3 and a wonderful book to share in a family - the chapters are mostly only one or two pages. I highly recommend you add this book to your library or Christmas book shopping list. It has only just arrived here in Australia - October 2023 - in paperback so you are sure to easily find a copy in your local independent bookstore. Oh, and you do know I LOVE books about robots (and dogs too). 

I expected to see a Kirkus Star for this book but alas no.

Eminently readable and appealing; will tug at dog-loving readers’ heartstrings. Kirkus

I love it when books surprise me, as it doesn't happen often. The format of Dogtown threw me. ... There are definitely cute moments, but there's also a LOT more depth than I was expecting! It's definitely more of a middle grade book, and I'd give it to fourth grade readers and up. With the prevalence of ChatGPT, Metal Head's story will resonate with readers who question what it means to have feelings and emotions. Ms Yingling Reads

Short chapters and Chance’s snappy narration keep the pace rolling, but Applegate and Choldenko adeptly make space for gently poignant moments along the way. An accessible, appealing romp that provides a dog’s-eye view of the nature of hope, belonging, and found family. The Horn Book Magazine

Listen to an interview with Katherine Applegate and Gennifer Choldenko. 

At the end of the day, I think the most important thing is that you write a book that, even if it’s just one child, they hug it to their chest and love it. It’s so important to be entertaining. ...  And so, if one kid picks this up and loves it and laughs and maybe thinks a little bit more about friendship and kindness, I think we’ve done our job. Katherine Applegate

Back in 2011 I read No Passengers beyond this Point by Gennifer Choldenko. Click here to see her webpage. It is wonderful that these two authors have collaborated to write this emotional, at times funny, truthful and warmhearted story about two dogs and a sweet little mouse. 

Other books by Katherine Applegate:

Look for these junior novels and picture books:

Choosing Crumble

Spunky tells all

Wondrous Rex

Let's get a pup!

Finding you

Stormy

Mutt Dog

Three

Charlie's Checklist

I Always Wanted one

And here are other books for readers aged 10+ that I highly recommend:

Sunshine

The Way of the Dog

Talking to Alaska

Little Brown by Marla Frazee

2019 Winner Charlotte Zolotow Award

I am not sure about this book. I do not think I would read it to the younger children at school but I do think it would be a terrific springboard for discussion with older students aged 9+.  The ending is so unresolved and sad. Little Brown is cranky. We don't know why? Perhaps he does not know how to make friends or approach the other dogs. Watching the play and happy times of the other dogs just makes him crankier and crankier. Is this jealousy? When a ball rolls over to his corner of the enclosed yard (perhaps this is a dog shelter/home/pound) he nabs and keeps it and then continues to collect all the other dog toys.

This is a dilemma for the other dogs.  I was pleased to see did not lead to any aggression. I did expect to see the dogs fighting. Instead the other dogs ask important questions:

"Is Little Brown cranky because we don't play with him?"
"Or do we not play with him because he is cranky?"
"Should we play with him to get the stuff back?"
"Or will that make us cranky too?  What then?"

Little Brown himself wonders:

"If I give it all back, will they like me? Then will they play with me? What if I give it all back and they still won't play with me? What then?"

I have labelled this book as a senior picture book because there is so much you could discuss around these questions and the open ending. I think I would call this lesson "What if or What then... ? " Marla Frazee conveys huge emotions in her illustrations. She discusses this on her web site.

 Here are some comments from the Charlotte Zolotow committee:

Little Brown, a cranky (but otherwise unremarkable) brown dog, has no one to play with at the kennel. Is that why he’s cranky? Or do none of the other dogs include him because he's cranky? When he hoards all the other dogs’ toys, what should they do? What should Little Brown do? In Frazee’s superb text, supported by equally fine, soft-hued pencil and gouache illustrations, a dramatic narrative crafted with wonderful language and artful pacing is full of hilariously spot-on dog behavior. But Little Brown’s isolation is heartbreaking, while the puzzlement of the other dogs and the “dilemma” they all face make for a complex look at social dynamics. The brilliant open ending leaves everything up for discussion with young readers and listeners, who no doubt know people like all of the dogs portrayed here. Charlotte Zolotow Award page

The reviewer at Kirkus says:

So when a ball rolls his way and Little Brown grabs it, this looks like the beginning of the end of Little Brown’s isolation and crankiness. But he then decides to grab the other toys, and in a jiffy, he’s collected a whole pile and stands on top of them, like a dragon hoarding treasure. Now there is a “dilemma.” …  Weirdly, this dilemma remains unresolved, leaving readers to continue the pondering: It becomes time to go and “maybe tomorrow / they would know what to do.”  A promising start dissolves to an undetermined, unsatisfying conclusion. Kirkus

In contrast the School Library Journal review says:

An open-ended story that creates a great starting point for meaningful discussion with young children about bullying and inclusion. School Library Journal (from Simon and Schuster publisher)

And here is the Bulletin of the Centre for Children's Books

Frazee interestingly leaves the conclusion open-ended, with no dog managing to break the standoff; that lessens the drama of the ending slightly, but it also offers easy discussion prompts (the dogs' questions could be posed to the audience verbatim) for some empathy-building and social consideration, while the adults can consider larger political symbolism. 

Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books