Dog vs. Ultra Dog

This is a fun comic-like story about Tim and Tuffy, a boy and his dog. Everything is great in their world until the cat starts feeding ideas to Tuffy about Tim liking his comic Ultradog more than he likes him, This puts Tuffy in a jealous panic! Now he has to make sure he is better than Ultradog so he doesn’t lose Tim’s love. He goes to great lengths to not lose Tim, hopefully not too far...
I had fun reading this one! I think this would be a fun story for 1st graders.
Thank you to Owl Kids and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this children’s book.

It has been fascinating following author Troy Wilson’s journey. If you have been following me for a bit you will remember The Sinking of Captain Otter, a lovely little story about play and friendship written by Troy Wilson. It was a story he first wrote back in grade school at the age of 6. Since then he has created some memorable picture books such as the new Dog vs Ultra Dog.

There seems to be quite the trend of cat and dog books arriving on bookshelves this spring. In Dog vs Ultra Dog, Tuffy the dog loves his boy Tim. When Tim’s fascination and utter enthrallment with the super hero Ultra Dog consumes his life, family cat Bosworth uses it to manipulate Tuffy into thinking Tim no longer loves him. Through a series of very funny attempts to be the best at something, Tuffy learns that he has not been replaced by Ultra Dog in Tim’s heart, much to Bosworth’s chagrin.

The art by Clayton Hanmer is fantastic! There is a tin of detail and hidden little gems to keep the reader excited and waiting to come back to the story time after time. Big, bold, colourful illustrations and comic format add so much richness to Troy Wilson’s words.

If you ever need a lesson in perseverance look no further than an author. The life of an author is full of rejections, false starts, and brilliant successes. In part, Troy Wilson’s first book, written at age 6 was only published roughly 40 years later. His first published book, Perfect Man, is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year. Since Perfect Man, Troy Wilson has published 3 other picture books and has two more releasing this year. It just goes to show what passion can create. It may be a long road but when it comes to picture books, so many young minds will be entertained, educated, and affected by the wonderful words and lessons of an author and and illustrator.

When Tim gets obsessed with superhero Ultra Dog, his dog Fuzzy starts to get worried that Tim loves Ultra Dog more than him. The neighbor cat keeps egging on his worries, so Fuzzy works hard to prove that he’s the best dog and Tim’s favorite. But he can’t seem to do things quite right and then Tim starts talking about going to Ultra Dog’s Ultra Land. Is Fuzzy going to lose his master?

Hidden in this silly story about a dog trying to measure up to a superhero are some very real lessons on how we can jump to false conclusions based on partial information, assumptions, and hearsay. It provides a great opportunity to talk to kids about ways to circumvent needless worries and rumors and get solid answers. The illustrations are an attractive cartoonish style, and kids should find Fuzzy’s antics very entertaining. Recommended for dog lovers, kids who may tend to needlessly worry, and those looking for a book to segue into talking to younger kids about fake news.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It is a fun book. My granddaughter really enjoyed it when I read it to her. . She likes the wit and the art.