Toby is a pet therapy dog. In the book, he is going to visit some children at school. He received the Gold Star Friendship Award for being a buddy, not a bully, and is there to tell the class about it. At the dog park, there was another mean dog that took Toby’s favorite toy and shook it so hard that it tore! He also was not very nice to Toby. Toby did not fight back with the dog, but instead went to Miss Charmaine for help. They told the bully-dog that Toby was sad and his feelings were hurt. The class learns that being a bully is not very nice and what to do if they are dealing with a bully. The end of the book has some activities for children to help them learn more ways to be kind to one another and not be a bully.
I think that bullies are a HUGE, HUGE problem for kids. They were when I was a kid and I feel like it has only magnified now for kids. Reading books like this to kids when they are younger will hopefully help instill with them from an early age that being mean to other people is NOT ok and that you should be kind to everyone. The book is only 15 pages long so it would not take long at all for a teacher or parent to read this to the kids.
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
When Toby steps into the path of a dog who shreds his beloved stuffed teddy-bear toy, we see the hurt feelings bullying creates. Beautifully illustrated teaches the importance kindness / being considerate. A great way to start discussions in ages 3 to 10.