Bad Dog

Book excerpt: The differences between cats and dogs have never been funnier! In this hilarious story from the illustrator of I Don't Want to Be a Frog, a little girl really, really wants a dog . . . but gets a cat instead! "Look what I got for my birthday! A pet dog!" says a little girl holding a . . . cat? Rocky doesn't listen or obey like all the other dogs. (Because Rocky is a cat.) And Rocky hates her leash and doesn't seem to like other dogs. (Probably because Rocky is a cat.) And rather than play fetch, Rocky prefers to . . . lick between her toes? Ew. Rocky is a bad "dog"! BUT Rocky doesn't bark, and is so cute when she sleeps in sunny spots. Maybe Rocky IS a good dog? (Or, you know, maybe Rocky is a cat.) Cat lovers and dog lovers alike will howl with laughter at this little girl's willful insistence that her cat is a dog. The hilarious ways in which cats and dogs are different are brilliantly illuminated with each turn of the page and will leave young readers and their grown-ups giggling. ★ Winner: Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award, 2021 ★ Winner: North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2022 ★ Winner: Wyoming Library Association Buckaroo Award, 2021-22 ★ Winner: Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Blue Spruce Award, 2021 ★ Winner: Sakura Medal, Japan, 2022 ★ Nominee: Indiana Early Literacy Firefly Award, 2022