Five naughty dogs move in next door to a little girl. After a rocky introduction, the neighbors bond and become close friends. That is, until the day the girl sees a Wanted poster and begins to wonder: are the neighbor dogs actually…bad dogs?

The art for this is very squiggly. It makes me think of children’s drawings, but this is done with consistency, showing that, of course, the artist is actually good at what they do. Backgrounds seem to be done in watercolors, giving the pages a soft, slightly messy feel.

The book is fine, but there’s one big worry, and hopefully it’s just a worry for the ARC: the digital galley I received for this refers to sled dogs as E-slur dogs. I really hope someone caught that before going to printing! And it would be an easy change. The line is “Skipper always claimed to be part E***** dog.” Switch it out to “sled dog” or “Husky” and it’s fine.

For now, assuming someone caught that flub, I’ll give this book 4 stars. But I’ll take a peek at the bookstore tomorrow, and if the slur is still there, this gets knocked down hard. If no one on that staff knew that was a slur, then I’ve got some concerns about Philomel.

I am a HUGE dog lover and I also happen to be a teacher who loves and collects picture books. When I saw that a new children's book called The Dogs Next Door was available for review on NetGalley, I quickly requested it. While the pictures are charming, the storyline is confusing and goes nowhere. I thought perhaps I was missing the point somehow but many other reviewers were left perplexed as well. The story opens with a pack of dogs moving into a house in the middle of the night. Their neighbor is a little girl who decides to make friends with them. They quickly bond and enjoy going on adventures together. When the girl discovers that the dogs may not be on the up-and-up, the story ends with no conclusion about the dogs. Then a single dog moves into the house and a new story begins. That's it. Even if you combine the 2 stories, you still don't end up with anything I recommend purchasing or sharing with kids.

Thank you to Marble Press and NetGalley for a review copy of The Dogs Next Door.

The artwork of this book was very cute. My kids loved the dogs. The story did kind of feel like it went no where though.

Thank you to the author, Marble Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story about a young girl who meets her new neighbors is a bit off the wall, and the message - beyond the basic one of friendship and looking beyond outward appearance - is a bit muddled. However, the anthropomorphic element is fun and I laughed a lot. What is this element, you ask? Well, the new neighbors are dogs that are a bit wild and crazy and end up being wanted for unspecified crimes elsewhere, and disappear overnight with no notice. The next neighbor is much more conventional, and the girl enjoys spending time with then, but does find herself missing the previous neighbors.

I liked the idea behind this book and I thought that the majority of the story was well written, I just felt disappointed that the book ended rather abruptly and you are left hanging.

The illustrations in the book are great and they work well with the story, just feel disappointed that the dogs left and you don't actually get to have a proper ending - even just an extra couple of pages would have pushed this one right up as it did have the potential to be a 5 star read.

It is 3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads and Amazon

A silly, playful, and multilayered picture book for kids (and grownups) who adore dogs and giggling. As a dog person, I also enjoy this book so much and your kids will definitely.

I so badly wanted to love this book! I adore the illustrations, and the story started out so cute, but it fizzled out and left me feeling a bit confused. I read it out loud to my husband and he felt the same. Around the time that Girl asked for an explanation is where it just seemed to fall flat, to flop, to go nowhere. I don't ever love leaving feedback like this, but I know that I would want to know if I were the author. I really hope this helps.

A little girl who appears to live a parentless existence befriends the pack of shifty-eyed, unruly mutts who move in next door. This book won my heart the minute the dogs showed up at the girl's front door with the question, "Is there bacon?" which is something my dog asks me at least fifteen times a day.

Carlin obviously knows her canine pals, and all the things that make them tick (and drool.) I'm sure there will be plenty of readers who bemoan that there is no moral to the story, and that the dogs are hopeless, unsavory reprobates, but dog lovers with a slightly warped sense of humor, not to mention kids looking for something a little different should probably enjoy the tale.
I really liked Carlin's cartoony illustrations. Her dogs remind me so much of my favorite New Yorker cartoonist, George Booth's pooches.

This book was such a fun read. Not all bad dogs are bad dogs. Sometimes dogs get a bad rep but they are actually good dogs. This can also apply to people in real life. The book is cute and silly which the kids would love. This would be a great read aloud and I can already envision which parts the kids would.

Cute and quirky illustrations. Reminds me a bit of the Mo Willems books, like the pictures could've been drawn by a child. Nice read about befriending those who might be different than we are.

This book really confused me so I got a few other people to read it in case I was missing something but the result came back the same. This is a very odd book. There doesn’t appear to be a moral lesson other than if you are friends with people who steal from you, then their actions seem less heinous? Maybe it’s once you hang out with bad guys for long enough you realize that it’s actually fun to be disrespected? Popular kids can treat you like dirt but as long as they let you go along for the ride it’s ok?
Either way, it’s not a story I will be sharing with my kids.

Thank you to Netgalley for a free preview of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful and filled with humor. If I was still doing regular story times I would definitely add this book to my reading list. The story centers on a girl and a scruffy pack of dogs who move in next door. Despite the dogs being messy and sloppy and a bit mean, Girl and dogs become friends and play and visit the river together. Until Girl sees a poster at the park. Just who are these dogs? Read the charming, funny, and goofy story to find out. Enjoy the twist on the very last page.

While I've got to admit to being fuzzy on what message I was supposed to be taking away from this story, it was still a cute book and one that dog crazy kids should enjoy. Heck, I'm not even sure the message isn't that every book doesn't have to beat us over the head with a serious message. That said, when I sat down to think about it, I did come away with several ideas. One, that no one is all good or bad. Two, to be open to new experiences. And, three, just because someone/thing is different from us doesn't mean that it's bad. Or, well, your guess is as good as mine.

In any case, part of the fun of this book is the almost quick sketch style illustrations. I was finding new things to see every time I went through the book, meaning children can have fun spying different things, too. Like, what is the oddest thing in the dogs' house? Or, compare the beginning pix of the homes to the ending illustration of the dogs' newest home. I got a real kick outta that one but not telling. You'll just have to read the book to see why. The only thing I didn't particularly like was when the girl sneaked into the dogs' home when no one was home. Hopefully adult readers can lead their child to come to the conclusion that this wasn't a good idea, either, although, no worries, it has a happy ending.

Bottom line, despite the vague/fuzzy message, it was a fun book to go through, especially as I fully took in all that the various illustrations had to offer. Thus the 3.5 rounded to a 4 star. Thanks #NetGalley and #MarblePress for sharing this early look at "The Dogs Next Door",

Another book I am not sure what the moral or point is. This doesn't seem to have any possitive moral or message and makes me wonder why someone would even bother to read it to there child.

This is a fun ridiculous book for kids about a bunch of dogs that move next door to a little girl. After a rocky start, they become friends and spend time together until the girl discovers something suspicious about her new neighbours.

The illustrations were adorable and adding to the hilarious factor of this story. They were made in a silly fun way, but each scene was full of details and funny moments.

Although it was fun, the story overall it's lacking something... maybe it's too rushed? I am not sure what, but something was not convincing in this aspect. But still, I had fun with this book and it will entertain the little ones too.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

The Dogs Next Door is an illustrated children's picture book where a pack of dogs move in next door to a girl who befriends them. They're pretty wild and unruly, but she grows very fond of them and their ways and enjoys spending time playing with them. One day, she sees a Wanted poster with pictures of the dogs on, and she investigates if they have committed a crime. After this the dogs move away, and she gets a new neighbour who's quiet and friendly but she's left missing and wondering about the pack who used to live there and if they were really bad dogs or just misunderstood.
This is a good book with a thought-provoking message and fun engaging illustrations. However, something didn't quite work for me, and I think it would have worked better being written in a rhyming format to lighten the book up a little.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this book. It's a short story about a little girl who gets new neighbors, who are dogs, and they are a mess. She has fun with them but finds out they're wanted for stealing a banjo. She confronts them and then they take off in the middle of the night. Not really a book that has a super feel good theme and even an ending that feels like it brings the story together.

A girl becomes friends with dogs that move next door and then discovers that they are wanted for stealing a banjo. The dogs are rude to her, she breaks into their house, they stole something, and then they disappear when she confronts them about it. I'm not sure there's a positive message in there for kids. The illustrations are cute.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

A cute story about a gang of unruly dogs who, albeit temporarily, bring a bit of fresh air (although they smell like feet) to their new neighbor's existence.

Charming and engaging artwork, with an j entertaining story (this book could readily become your child's new favorite)!

I thought this book looked and sounded cute when I first saw it. Sadly, it didn’t keep my son’s interest at all. He was no longer interested after the first couple pages. I kept reading and by the end didn’t really understanding the point of the story. The illustrations are cute, but overall I felt like this book was a bit of a letdown.