I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I think kids will probably like this story even though it wasn't my favorite. The characters are cute and the pictures are fun.

I think it was a book with the right intentions - and of course, there is a dog involved so it was a great hook - but the book didn't keep my attention for the brief time. I'm not sure if it would keep a kid's attention.
I liked the illustrations, though the formatting ruined it for me

Children’s books that teach valuable life lessons AND keep my kids captivated are a huge win in my book. Big Shaggy Max by Patricia Tanenbaum and Carol Zaslow does exactly that. It’s an adorable story of a young boy, Alex, who seems to find trouble everywhere he goes. Once he starts volunteering at a dog shelter he quickly learns he needs to take responsibility for his choices.

This story is great for kids between the ages of 4.5 and 8.

Things that I had trouble with was plot transitions and background information. The story took place over several days/weeks but it seemed to do so without transition. I also had no clue what “sticky mac” was until the end of the book where we get a recipe. It turns out to be slime, but it’s unfortunate because Borax based slime has been proven to cause chemical burns and Borax has advised against its use in slime for some time now.

We did however, have a good time reading it and were able to use it for talking about how we can make responsible choices, help others, and what we can do to help dogs and cats find homes.
Overall I would say this is a three star read. Thank you to NetGalley, Children’s Fiction, and the authors for providing an eARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

A very simple story about a boy adopting a dog.

I found it difficult to connect with this story largely because it is written in the present tense.

Overall this book wasn't a hit with me but likely good to provide a little more challenge to independent readers without being too challenging.

All Alex wants is a dog of his own, but his parents say he isn't responsible enough. This is a cute story showing how hard Alex is trying not to create messes. It's a great story that teaches kids to strive to do great things.

Ada loved this book. It was great fun and had a really good storyline, that was easy to follow. The illustrations were really great and brought the story to life.

Big Shaggy Max by Patricia Tanenbaum and Carol Zaslow. The book is about a little boy who wants a dog. A very cute story about responsibilities of dog care. Read it you will love it like my grandson.

This was a story about a boy who volunteers at pet adoption agency. After meeting Max, a dog he grows particularly fond of, Alex learns the responsibility that having a pet truly entails. I liked this story because it teaches children that having a pet is actually quite a bit of work, and that not all pets are suitable for everyone.

Big shaggy max by Patricia tanenbaum, carol zaslow is a really great book! This book is full of adventure and fun as well as teaching children how to solve problems and be responsible! My children and I really enjoyed reading this book.

This was very cute. My son is 4 and half months old and I love reading to him. I think he enjoys it too and sometimes it puts him to sleep. I definitely plan on keeping this on my kindle and reading it to him many more times in the future!

Big Shaggy Max
by Patricia Tanenbaum, Carol Zaslow
Length: 36 pages
Age Level: 4 - 8
Publication date: June 8, 2018
Publisher: Archway Publishing
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Description :
Alex is a friendly third grader who forgets his homework, loses his jacket, and often runs late. He doesn't mean to get into trouble. It's like trouble finds him. He dreams of one day having a dog, but his parents refuse. Dogs are a lot of work, and Alex is way too irresponsible to take care of a petor so they think. Alex is determined to prove them wrong.
🎒🕒MY Review🎒🏃💨
Big Shaggy Max is a cute fun educational story that teaches kids about solving problems ,responsibility and pet adoption. I read this book to my two granddaughter's who are One & Two . I also read it to my 5 year old daughter. It is short enough yet long enough to hold their attention. It makes a great bedtime story. All 3 of them absolutely love it. They have asked me to read it over and over . This is the 5th time TODAY that they have sat and asked me to read this book! I have read it to them 23 times in the past week. I must admit that I also love this story the lessons it teaches and the positive attitude it sets. Indeed little kids can do BIG things !
I also love the fact that Alex adopts a dog from an animal shelter. All of our dogs are rescue dogs. I wish more people adopted dogs and cats from shelters instead of getting puppies and kittens from breeders. This would be a great book for teachers to have in their classrooms because it has so many teaching possibilities. Big Shaggy Max is a book that can be equally enjoyed by parents, teachers and children. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this entertaining book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get ! You can also read this review and all my other reviews on my fb page at Joyce Stewart Book Reviews , my fb Group Stewart Book Reviews Book Club , Good Reads at Joyce Stewart Reviews and instagram at Stewarts_bookreviews.

It bothered me that the images weren’t constant feeling even though they were vaguely similar.

I liked the premise of the book about adoption and a child working to prove he was responsible, but the parents decision to let him have a dog kinda came out of left field. Everything was a little choppy to serve the bigger plot.

I don’t think the book flowed very well. It may confuse a kid because the wording isn’t very ideal. I didn’t like it at all.

A cute story about a boy who wants a dog. He ends up working at a shelter and falls in love with Max. As a family with two rescue cars, this was a book my daughter loved!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed this story and I thought it was a fun read, the images are great too

The characters are good and I liked that the book focussed on an animal rehoming/rescue centre too as it shows younger children that you don’t have to have a puppy or kitten and there are plenty of animals out there looking for a loving forever home

Too cute! A young boy is always getting into mischief. Playing in the house breaking things. He wants a dog more than anything, but his parents say no. This makes.him very sad. He tells his class about it when it's time to share. Ella days he can volunteer at the pet shelter. He goes and falls in love with Max, the sheep dog. Such a cute story

I was given this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The credentials for the women responsible for this book are impressive, the book however is not. The story takes place over an odd amount of time for a children's book. We're given absolutely no backstory for things that are treated like an inside joke (sticky mac?) but are given excessive details for other things.

Time skips from day to day pending on what important plot point is coming up. The school suggesting he work at a pet shop and then host a pet adoption day came out of nowhere. It felt clunky and unnatural.

The illustrations look like clipart and are not memorable. The cover art is the best illustration but the book interior is not as detailed or interesting.

Overall it was okay, but I can't figure out what the story is for. It's neither entertaining nor educational.

This story was cute. I was a little confused at first and maybe it was the formatting but The beginning threw me off. After that see Alex try and prove he deserved Max was the sweetest thing. I got emotional with the ending. Very cute story for kids asking for a pet. It shows you how hard it is to care for an animal and that if you want a pet you should always be prepared to take care of it.