The D.O.G. Book Review

The D.O.G. (Lola Jones #3)

Written by Jonathan Eig

Illustrated by Alicia Teba Godoy

Published by Albert Whitman, April, 2021

Review
"It's like the 'B-F-G,' but it's the 'D-O-G'!" – T, age 6

I think I cannot laud the Lola Jones books enough! T reads Eig's work fluently and comments on the content as we go. T really connects with Lola. They like the same animals, they read the same books, and they both have an Uncle Matt. He relates The D.O.G. to his own life (he reads to a tabby kitten like Lola does) and to books he reads (The BFG), he reads for a sustained period of time, and he enlarges his vocabulary. The Lola Jones books are also some of our favorites to read together. The language, chapter length, and font size are just right for T at this moment in his life. Lola is up there with Mindy Kim and Jack and Annie of The Magic Treehouse for our Chips and Chapters – books that we read tag-team style while snacking on chips. Note to self: buy more Doritos to get ready for Lola Jones: Everybody's Home.

In this installment of the series, Lola wants a dog desperately, but also falls a little bit in love with a cat at the shelter her class visits on a field trip. The problem is that her mother doesn't want a dog and dogs aren't allowed in their building anyway. The plot follows Lola's creative ways to sway her mother's opinion and her efforts to change the building's rules. (Spoiler Alert: T peeked at the back endpaper and informed me that she gets both animals.) Additionally, Lola is writing poetry and quite proud of her work. As a parent, I like T to see Lola's well-placed pride and her engagement in a new creative pursuit. Whether he recognizes it or not, I have to think her creativity is another aspect of Lola that appeals to T because he is also always creating. Furthermore, if she doesn't like something, she finds an ingenious solution.

Everything about The D.O.G. is top dog!

Note: A review copy was provided for the purpose of an honest review. All thoughts are our own.