Kaita is an eight year old girl whose family decides to begin fostering dogs in their home. As they work to teach Truman manners and social skills, Kaita encounters a common problem with fostering - she becomes attached to this new pet. Will they be able to keep him in the end?

Not only do the themes of responsibility and family weave throughout this book, Florence also does a wonderful job of actually teaching kids the many jobs, and challenges, with fostering animals.

So, children reading this book will read a great story and learn along the way.

Highly recommend, especially for children in grades 2 and 3, or in grade 1 as a readaloud.

'Truman the Dog' by Debbi Michiko Florence with illustrations by Melanie Demmer is a story for younger readers about a family that fosters a rescue dog.

Kaita and her family like to foster animals. When they get a chance to take in Truman, a black lab, we get to see what it's like for a family to get used to a dog. At first, Truman is shy, and then is likes to get in to trouble, so the family finds ways to cope. Will Truman find his forever home?

The story is fun and informative and I can tell the writer knows dogs. The illustrations sprinkled throughout are lively and fun. This would be a good read for a child who likes animals.

What a great book!

I loved Truman The Dog. He is a black lab and although old he still has enough energy to keep his human family very active. Great illustrations and a fun storyline make this a must-read.

A good series for kids who really like animals. Highly realistic about how it can be challenging to foster animals when you want to keep all of them.

Truman the Dog is a beautifully illustrated story about a family that fosters a black lab. A truly heartwarming read for all the family.

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

A very simple beginning reader book. Short little chapters. This is the first in the series, so if your child enjoy it there are more to explore. Great for kids who love dogs.

My Furry Foster Family is a fantastic series of books about a young girl and her family who take care of animals until they find their forever family. In this first book, Truman the Dog, Kaita and her parents take care of a dog who has a knack for finding trouble. I loved the way they modeled love and patience, even when feeling exasperated, and worked on solving the problems that led to the dog's misbehavior. Loving animals and focusing on their positive qualities is definitely a theme throughout the book, and is a terrific message for kids.
This is a perfect book for young readers, and K-3rd grade classrooms and libraries, as a read-aloud, a read-along, or a read-by-myself book. I also loved the illustrations and the small-sized paperback, a great fit for small hands.

Being a huge fan of Florence's Jasmine Toguchi series, I was so excited to find out she has a new early chapter book series. What makes my heart truly happy is the series features a family fostering animals from a local shelter.

Narrated by eight year old Kaita Takano, Truman the Dog, the first book in the series introduces the reader to her family who begins to foster animals from Happy Paws Rescue, the shelter where they adopted their dachusund Ollie. Their first foster is Truman, an older yet energetic black lab mix . As first time fosters, Kaita and her parents learn lessons daily such as never leave Truman in a room unattended because he finds "trouble."

What I love about this story is Truman is never blamed for his behavior; rather, the family makes adjustments such as making sure items are out of Truman's reach. While it is bittersweet when Truman finds his furever home, Kaita realizes that Truman's adoption allows her family to help another animal in need.  Demmer's charming illustrations pop off the page and provide support to young readers who are transitioning to chapter books.  I was especially tickled seeing Kaita wearing a flamingo shirt like Jasmine Toguchi!

After the story ends, readers are introduced to real life Kaita who inspired the series and learn how she and the book character are similar and different.   This bonus feature teaches young readers the difference between fiction and nonfiction and could also spark children to write their own fictional stories based on their own lives.

This is a lovely, sweet story-book for children about a girl and her family who foster a dog named Truman.

Eight-year-old Kaita’s family decide to start fostering dogs. As they try to teach Truman manners and doggy social skills, Kaita encounters a problem - she becomes attached to this new pet. Will they be able to keep him in the end?

An early chapter book with oodles of character, it’s a marvellous introduction to the temporary nature of fostering. Themes of responsibility and family are wonderfully interwoven throughout and it is well-paced, easy to understand and well written by Debbi Michiko Florence, in a fun, upbeat way. The illustrations are gorgeously colourful and they complement the text perfectly.

Trueman the Dog was a delight to read and almost every page got a chuckle. This book is an opening for children to share their own stories about their pets and favourite animals. The key message about caring for our pets and showing compassion was great too, as was the inclusion of the suggested activities at the back of the book.

My heart was certainly warmed as I got to know this doggy and the family.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from Capstone via NetGalley at my own request. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Interest Level: K-3​

Have you ever had a foster pet? Did things go well with your foster pet or not so good? When Kaita and her family foster an older Labrador mix, things don't go quite the way Kaita pictures in her mind. Kaita and her parents are very familiar with Happy Tails Rescue. This is where they got their Dachshund dog, Ollie, a year ago. Truman was not very happy when he first was put into the Takano house but after a little time he settles in... maybe a little too much. As Truman gets comfortable he begins to do some naughty things that dogs do. Will Kaita and her family have to give Truman back or will they find his forever home? Read this precious story about finding a home for a rescue dog.

As a dog lover myself, I adore this story! I have a granddog that is a rescue dog so this story is near and dear to my heart. My sweet Chewie had a foster family before he found his forever home. This is a great early chapter book that does not need to be missed!!

What a delight it was to find and read Truman the Dog by Debbi Michiko Florence. Neither I nor any of my grandchildren had read any of the books in this series. However, we do have the others which include different animals on our-to-be read list.

Of the three of us who read the book together, we all gave it 5 stars but for different reasons. The rising third grader liked that he could read it himself. Plus he liked that there were plenty of interesting colorful illustrations. His first word in describing the book was “cute” which the rising second graders used to describe it too. She could also read it the book herself with some help. Having tried to predict the ending, she found it surprising but fitting. As for me the grandmother, I liked how we could predict, empathize with Kaita when Truman made trouble while also growing to love him along with her. The educator side of me loved the glossary, questions and things to do at the end. All of us enjoyed learning about the real Kaita and the comparisons to the fictional one.

It is a perfect book for children moving into chapter books. The illustrations help the children making the big transition from quick reading to chapter books. Animals are always of interest with this one showing the importance and the responsibility of fostering animals who are getting ready for their forever homes.

The publisher through Net Galley provided an ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

As a Literacy Specialist for kids 8 and 9, I'm on a constant hunt for quality early chapter books. Ones that include engaging content and stories that are relevant to this age group. Debbi Michiko Florence's series is just that.

Kaita is an eight year old girl whose family decides to begin fostering dogs in their home. As they work to teach Truman manners and social skills, Kaita encounters a common problem with fostering - she becomes attached to this new pet. Will they be able to keep him in the end?

Not only do the themes of responsibility and family weave throughout this book, Florence also does a wonderful job of actually teaching kids the many jobs, and challenges, with fostering animals. So children reading this book will read a great story and learn along the way. Highly recommend, especially for students in grades 2 and 3, or in grade 1 as a readaloud.

Thanks to #netgalley, the author, Picture Window books and Capstone Publishing for a chance to review.

Truman is waiting for his forever home, but he goes to live with Katia's family as a foster pet. This delightful story chronicles the entire fostering process from the time Truman arrives until after he has become the family pet in a new home. Throughout the story, Kaita learns how to encourage Truman to make new friends and take a bath, as well as how to prevent problems from occurring. The illustrations were fun and brightly colorful, and the pace of the story seemed perfect. I foresee this being a popular book, and I'm glad to have had the opportunity to preview it through NetGalley.

When Dad comes home with a surprise, he immediately captures 8-year-old Kaita's attention. The Takano family doesn't have to wait long for their new surprise and guest. They're going to be a foster family. Truman, a black Lab, is an older pet that acts pretty shy for the first little bit after arriving. However, it doesn't take long for him to feel comfortable with Ollie, the families dachshund, and the family. Comfortable enough to exhibit some pent up energy and excitement. Oops! The family might be facing some real challenges.

There are four books in the My Furry Foster Family series for 1st – 2nd graders. This book has five chapters and approximately two illustrations in each chapter.

What Concerned Me:

Though I really liked the thought of a series that introduces foster families, I had a concern. At first, Kaita acted like it was going to be near impossible to see Truman go to a forever family, which felt realistic. (Goodness, I'm well beyond 8 year's old and I think it would pull on my heartstrings.) But for some reason, Kaita did an about-face, was understanding and almost anxious to see Truman go.

It's one thing to logically understand that Truman needs a forever family, but emotionally it should have been a little harder. But on the flip side, I guess you don't need kids crying over the book, but it's important to point out that being a foster family most likely would be a little tough.

I have to be honest, I'm not that familiar with chapter books, but I think it would have been nice to have had one more illustration per chapter.

What I Liked Most:

I liked that this story was more about fostering and caring for an animal rather than adopting. The back of the book provides a few discussion questions, activities, and a glossary, which is nice. And as I mentioned earlier, I would like to have seen more of the cute artwork, since it adds quite a bit to the story.

This is a cute story about a young girl, Kaita, and her parents as they begin to care for foster pets until they can be paired with their new forever family. I enjoyed the warmth and cooperation between the three family members to care for their pets.

The antics of the foster dog, Truman, provided funny content for the illustrations. Kids will love the illustration of him in the kitchen with the garbage strewn about.

The author did share a lesson or two through the main character Kaita. She learned that sometimes with pets, you have to be diligent to keep things picked up off the floor because curious dogs may just chew things to pieces.

The additional content at the end about the real life Kaita was heartwarming too.

All in all, an excellent book for kids. There’s nothing really new here, but several things included as mentioned above, go above and beyond the basic pet story for additional reader connection and interest. There are other books available in this series.

Love this first installment in this new series by Debbi Florence! Truman is a typical foster dog that is looking for his furever family. Kaita Takano has her work cut out for her to get Truman ready for adoption. Our students will love this first book in the series (especially those that love Hound Hotel)! We can’t wait to experience the next adventure with the lovable Takano family!

This is a sweet beginning chapter book. The illustrations are engaging. Hand this to your blooming reader who loves animals.

4+ stars: Debbi Michiko Florence’s Truman the Dog is a thoroughly enjoyable short/beginning chapter book interspersed with adorable illustrations by Melanie Demmer. In the book, a family with one very well-behaved dog named Ollie temporarily adds a second older, more mischievous dog to the mix. Kaita and her family begin fostering a dog named Truman.

Chewing on a backpack, refusing to willingly enter a bathtub, and rolling around in garbage after knocking over the bin are a few of instances in which Truman finds trouble. The family reacts well and without anger to his antics, and they discuss Kaita’s feelings about Truman and his future as the right dog for another family. While upset at first, Kaita comes to accept the temporary nature of fostering and the importance of helping many animals find the right place.

After the story, the author includes a few questions and activities, a glossary of some words used in the book, and a bit about herself and “the real Kaita.” Recommended!

My son and I thoroughly enjoyed our nightly instalments of ‘Truman the dog’.
He is 8 years old and I felt this was the perfect age to independently read this story, although as an adult I really enjoyed it too!
A great children’s story.

Katia and her family, who have a dog named Ollie, provide a foster home for Truman while he waits for his forever home. Although Truman is very lovable, he gets himself into some puppy trouble. Katia immediately falls in love with him and is conflicted about how she'll feel when it's time to let him go. This short, illustrated chapter book for early readers has a positive message about caring for animals and shows what it's like to foster a pet. It's a sweet start to a series that will appeal especially to early readers who enjoy stories about animals and pets.