A Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild review by the Hobbit on 4/29/20
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Know Before You Read:
Book: Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild
Author and Illustrator: Dav Pilkey
Pages: 211 (221 with added activities)
Published: 2019
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Age Suggestion: 8+
Warnings: Some hints at animal cruelty
Quick Summary: Petey is still struggling with being good or being bad. Meanwhile, it appears that Dog Man has turned to a life of crime! Will Li’l Petey, Sarah and their friends be able to save the day? (and we still have Li’l Petey’s knock-knock jokes?!)
Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild Parent Review
**Spoilers Beyond this Point**
This is the sixth book in the Dog Man series. While it is helpful if you have read the others, it is not necessary, as each book contains a brief summary. The book starts with an invitation from Yolay Caprese for DogMan and his friends to attend the world premier of the new Dog Man movie! Meanwhile, Petey is wondering if he can ever be good. He decides Li’l Petey will be better off without him.
We then find, from the last book, the FLEAS (Fuzzy Little Evil Animal Squad) plotting their revenge. They find the shrink ray. However, instead of using it on themselves, they plot something more devious. The next morning Dog Man wakes up with a bag of money by his side! A bank has been robbed and all of the evidence points to Dog Man. He is arrested, tried, and sent to dog jail. Sarah and Li’l Petey quickly discover that it was not Dog Man.
The bad guys will create more chaos, Dog Man will be vindicated, and the good guys will rescue things multiple times. Through this Petey once again discovers that he does have the potential to be good. The FLEAS? They escape, as bad as ever.
Because of his experiences, Dog Man (who already is somewhat of a misfit) becomes sad because he has been told he is a misfit. All of his friends console him by helping him to realize that no one is perfect – we are all misfits in some ways. Much like the last book, one of the other primary points of this book is Li’l Petey convincing Petey that he can be good.
There are other good moral points in the book, about the value of friendship and choosing to do good in particular. The artwork continues to endear itself. I highly recommend Dog Man Brawl of the Wild.
Discussion questions:
- Has anyone ever told you that you were a misfit (or weird, or strange, etc.) How did it make you feel?
- When Dog Man was tempted to run away, he thought about the good things his friends has said about him. What things do your friends (or parents, or grandparents, or teachers) say about you that make you want to do the right things?
- What happens to the people who are arrogant? (These are the judge and the guard, who both think they are always right and never wrong).
- Which character would you like to have as your best friend? Why? (and there are lots of good friends in this book!)
Favorite quote:
Yolay Caprese: “Don’t worry Dog Man. Everybody feels like a misfit!!! And that means you fit in…Perfectly!!!
If you liked our Brawl of the Wild review, check out our other Dog Man reviews:
–Lord of the Fleas
–Fetch 22
–For Whom the Ball Rolls
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