The Dogs Next Door is a truly delightful picture book about a group of "bad" dogs that move next door to a little girl and go on adventures with her like swimming in the river & playing the banjo. The illustrations were a fantastic style & absolutely captured my heart.

I loved so much about this story. It was a really fun read & as an adult I still often did not know where it was leading. This is one that I would love to read aloud to the kiddos. Thanks to NetGalley, Patricia Carlin, and Marble Press for the chance to read and review. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Cute and funny book featuring the personification of dogs as neighbors. What a quirky concept. The pictures were great!

A truly delightful book! I don't have anything bad to say about it. There was a clear plot, fun characters, and a sweet ending. There wasn't a whole lot of writing on each page, but I think that worked to this book's advantage. It kept the story concise and on-track, which is perfect for all readers but especially young ones. As for the illustrations, they felt a little bit scribble-y but I didn't mind it at all. The color worked really well with the style of the drawings and helped to give the story a really fun feel.
Bravo!

I received an electronic ARC from Marble Press through NetGalley.
An interesting take on new neighbors. Five dogs move in next door and the young girl wants to make them feel welcome. After a bit of a rocky start, the six end up doing all sorts of things together. Then, she sees a poster for thieves who look remarkably like her neighbors. I'm ambivalent when she searches their home without permission and then confronts them with the stolen item. It's not a choice I prefer. However, the humor comes through clearly as the dogs leave as suddenly as they arrived. Readers see them in their new location in the last illustration and the same playful spirit is shown.
Young readers will enjoy the antics and absurdity in Carlin's story.

The story was interesting. I couldn’t really figure out what the point was. The photos were fun and my daughter enjoyed the dogs being silly. This wouldn’t be one we’d add to our shelves.

Cute story. I enjoyed the artwork and the main character was adorable. The part where the pug is sitting at the table playing cards made me chuckle for sure. Very sweet.

Until the last few pages, this was a 5 star, gripping, engaging and hilarious book for us. The dog characters are hilarious even when they stand still, and ‘girl’, whose POV we read, has agency.
The art style is unique and original. It is highly dynamic and we loved it.
We also loved that there were twists and baddies, or moral ambiguity. Why not? This is a story and we love some adventure.
Girl’s reaction in the end is perhaps realistic, and perhaps she is an unreliable narrator or she is highly imaginative, which are all still 5 stars. Though, we would have loved to see more of the dogs and hope there will be more books with them or similar characters.

I love dogs and have 3 of my own, so I was excited to read this book. I just didn’t see much of a plot/story line with this book. I am sad to say, I just didn’t get this book. Maybe I am missing something.

A cute read but I felt like the story was a bit bland. I didn't like that the little girl was never really given an answer. I would have liked to see a different ending like maybe the dogs decided to come clean and had a happy ending or made a better twist on why they left a bit better then just a note on the wall.

The illustrations were very cute and did a good job of telling the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Patricia Carlin, and Marble Press for allowing me to review.

This is a very cute story that kids can enjoy, with clever, busy pictures, but there are also some word jokes that adults can laugh out loud over. This is a short picture book but one of the most enjoyable books I've read for a while. Thanks to much to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This picture book makes no sense whatsoever.
And it's really not good for children. Condoning robbing? Are you kidding me? The whole principle/reasoning behind it is unacceptable.

This was such a fun story! My kids really enjoyed this fun story. The illustrations were really fun! My kids asked to read it over and over again.

I enjoyed this more than my kids (3 and 5). As a dog lover I’ll always find joy in books about anthropomorphised dogs! The boys didn’t enjoy the illustrations so much ‘too scratchy’ although i thought they fitted well with the story. I thought it was funny and enjoyable but it didn’t grab their attention.

This delightful story captures the whimsical chaos of new canine neighbors who turn a girl's world upside down. While their bacon-stealing antics test her patience, their charm and playful spirit soon win her over. The twist of the WANTED poster adds a layer of intrigue, making readers question whether these lovable mutts are hiding a secret. It's a heartwarming tale of unexpected friendships and the surprises they bring.

This little children’s book definitely cracked me up! I personally loved that the dogs weren’t perfect angels (as dogs often are believed to be). The pictures are bright and colorful. I’d buy it for a kid in my life.

**Thanks to the author and publisher for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. **

This was the cutest children’s story about some dogs that move in next door. They start off kind of rude, but eventually the girl learns to like them. The question comes up whether they are good dogs or bad dogs, and the girl is left wondering.

A bunch of dogs move in next door and their neighbor ends up finding out they are wanted dogs who stole a banjo. The illustrations were good. The story was okay. My five year old kinda stopped paying attention 15 pages in out of the 24. I think the girl should have minded her own business. You can’t just break into your neighbors house and snoop around. You might end up having a bad day. 🤷‍♂️😂

I didn't love that the dogs in this book were portrayed as criminals. As the proud owner of a "bad dog", I don't need my kid thinking that her dog might be a criminal. We do, however, also have a lovely old lady dog who would love to sit, relax and drink tea.

This might be a fun book for some kids, but I think I will pass on reading this to my kids.

When dogs move in next door, a little girl is excited even if they are a little wild. She soon realizes though they are thieves. I thought this was cute but the ending felt abrupt - I thought maybe they would come back but nope, just ends!

I like the illustrations, the story was okay but I feel it would've potentially been better if it showed a little bit more of the nicer side of the dogs leading to her enjoying their company, overall a cute little read