What do you think?
Rate this book
Toasty
The deliciously funny tale of a piece of bread who wants to be a dog-- perfect for fans of Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio.
Toasty loves dogs--so much so that he'd like to be one. He knows there are some differences--most dogs have four legs, but Toasty has two arms and two legs. Some dogs sleep in dog houses, but Toasty sleeps in a toaster. All dogs have hair and fur, but Toasty has neither because he's made of bread.
In spite of these differences, he decides to go to the park to play with the dogs-- but they don't want to play, they want to eat him! Lucky for Toasty, he is rescued by a little girl who has always wanted a dog but can't have one because she is allergic. It turns out Toasty is the perfect dog for her.
Sarah Hwang's inspiration for Toasty came from her childhood experience as an immigrant and her discovery that you find your best friends when you're willing to just be yourself. Her playful art for Toasty came to mind when she saw a piece of toast that reminded her of the way she used to draw dogs as a child.
Toasty loves dogs--so much so that he'd like to be one. He knows there are some differences--most dogs have four legs, but Toasty has two arms and two legs. Some dogs sleep in dog houses, but Toasty sleeps in a toaster. All dogs have hair and fur, but Toasty has neither because he's made of bread.
In spite of these differences, he decides to go to the park to play with the dogs-- but they don't want to play, they want to eat him! Lucky for Toasty, he is rescued by a little girl who has always wanted a dog but can't have one because she is allergic. It turns out Toasty is the perfect dog for her.
Sarah Hwang's inspiration for Toasty came from her childhood experience as an immigrant and her discovery that you find your best friends when you're willing to just be yourself. Her playful art for Toasty came to mind when she saw a piece of toast that reminded her of the way she used to draw dogs as a child.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2021
5 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Hwang
6 books6 followersSarah Hwang is a Korean-American picture book author and Illustrator. She received her BFA in illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Sarah loves to sprinkle a bit of her quirk and humor in everything she creates. As a storyteller, she focuses on creating fun stories that are relatable for readers of all ages. Sarah made her author-illustrator debut with her much loved picture book, Toasty.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
May 28, 2021
I knew I had to read this book the second I saw the cover and heard it was about a piece of toast who wishes he could be a dog I hope you feel the same. You will not regret picking up this super-charming-in-every-way story.
May 26, 2021
Loved it!
July 15, 2022
Lively art and a fresh take on the wanting-a-dog genre, which I hadn't really recognized as a thing before. Highly relatable and the Hwang's sense of the absurd is perfect as well as charming. Highly recommended, perhaps especially to those who aren't interested in dogs at all.
Library copy
Library copy
September 1, 2022
Cute!!!
June 16, 2021
A deliciously funny story about Toasty, a piece of bread who wants to be a dog, for fans of Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio.
Toasty loves dogs--so much so that he'd like to be one. He knows there are some differences--most dogs have four legs, but Toasty has two arms and two legs. Some dogs sleep in dog houses, but Toasty sleeps in a toaster. All dogs have hair and fur, but Toasty has neither because he's made of bread. In spite of these differences, he decides to go to the park to play with the dogs but runs into trouble when they want to eat him. Lucky for Toasty, he is rescued by a little girl who has always wanted a dog but can't have one because she is allergic. Toasty is the perfect dog for her.
Sarah Hwang's inspiration for Toasty came from her childhood experience as an immigrant and her discovery that you find your best friends when you're willing to just be yourself. Her playful art for Toasty came to mind when she saw a piece of toast that reminded her of the way she used to draw dogs as a child.
Toasty loves dogs--so much so that he'd like to be one. He knows there are some differences--most dogs have four legs, but Toasty has two arms and two legs. Some dogs sleep in dog houses, but Toasty sleeps in a toaster. All dogs have hair and fur, but Toasty has neither because he's made of bread. In spite of these differences, he decides to go to the park to play with the dogs but runs into trouble when they want to eat him. Lucky for Toasty, he is rescued by a little girl who has always wanted a dog but can't have one because she is allergic. Toasty is the perfect dog for her.
Sarah Hwang's inspiration for Toasty came from her childhood experience as an immigrant and her discovery that you find your best friends when you're willing to just be yourself. Her playful art for Toasty came to mind when she saw a piece of toast that reminded her of the way she used to draw dogs as a child.
March 3, 2021
TOASTY is so funny and charming! It features a completely original main character that I've never seen anywhere else in children's literature. The story is warm and full of delightful surprises that left me giggling after every page. The illustrations are gorgeous--bright and colorful, quirky and memorable. I loved every bit of this book.
July 10, 2021
What did I just read?
August 7, 2021
I'm such a sucker for weird stuff like this. Of course, I can't help but think of all the CRUMBS IN THE LITTLE GIRL'S BED
April 27, 2022
Toasty the cute toast has some adventures, and the illustrations and text are adorable!
May 6, 2021
3 stars from me, 4 from my kid, so I rounded up.
So pleased to begin celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Month over at The Frumious Consortium with this surrealist delight of a children's book! Toasty is a piece of toast who loves dogs and really, really wants to be one himself. He has a collar and a sparkly ball, but his first actual foray from home to make doggy friends at the park does not go as planned. Spoiler alert: all's well that ends well, tho certainly not in the way Toasty expected.
My kids are OBSESSED with object animation shows, so I knew this book was going to be right up their alleys (even tho the twins have a perpetual antipathy to dogs due to their love-hate relationship with our aging bichonpoo.) My ten year-old, especially, giggled his way through reading the entire book. "The plot was random but I loved it," was his final verdict.
The plot was, indeed, fairly random (but adorable!) as it centers Toasty's desire to belong and to be loved. Sarah Hwang's debut as an author presents universal themes in a manner light enough for young children to grasp. Her art looks deceptively simple, with broad, visible strokes that evoke the drawings of her young readers, but is crammed with expressiveness and lacks any of the murkiness that is the occasional drawback of the quasi-fauvist art style.
A delightful debut, with silliness balancing out the heavier themes of belonging and love. I'm really looking forward to reading and sharing more of Ms Hwang's work with my kids in future.
Toasty by Sarah Hwang was published May 4 2021 by Holiday House and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
So pleased to begin celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Month over at The Frumious Consortium with this surrealist delight of a children's book! Toasty is a piece of toast who loves dogs and really, really wants to be one himself. He has a collar and a sparkly ball, but his first actual foray from home to make doggy friends at the park does not go as planned. Spoiler alert: all's well that ends well, tho certainly not in the way Toasty expected.
My kids are OBSESSED with object animation shows, so I knew this book was going to be right up their alleys (even tho the twins have a perpetual antipathy to dogs due to their love-hate relationship with our aging bichonpoo.) My ten year-old, especially, giggled his way through reading the entire book. "The plot was random but I loved it," was his final verdict.
The plot was, indeed, fairly random (but adorable!) as it centers Toasty's desire to belong and to be loved. Sarah Hwang's debut as an author presents universal themes in a manner light enough for young children to grasp. Her art looks deceptively simple, with broad, visible strokes that evoke the drawings of her young readers, but is crammed with expressiveness and lacks any of the murkiness that is the occasional drawback of the quasi-fauvist art style.
A delightful debut, with silliness balancing out the heavier themes of belonging and love. I'm really looking forward to reading and sharing more of Ms Hwang's work with my kids in future.
Toasty by Sarah Hwang was published May 4 2021 by Holiday House and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
June 3, 2021
Whomever coined the phrase, "Never judge a book by it's cover", has never encountered the warmth and joy of Sarah Hwang's work, especially her 2021 children's book, "Toasty".
The minute it crossed the path of several of my co-workers at the library we knew we HAD to read it. The illustrations, alone, will improve anyone's day! Add the heartwarming plot, and the tender and loving conclusion, and you too will feel toasty inside!
Readers, young and old, know what it is like to wish to belong to a group. We all can identify with Toasty's dream, to join the pack and be loved the way they are loved. However, we eventually remember how we are treasured just the way we are!
There is a strong possibility that many readers will consider Toasty for their next tattoo, including myself and my co-workers, and who could blame them/us?
The minute it crossed the path of several of my co-workers at the library we knew we HAD to read it. The illustrations, alone, will improve anyone's day! Add the heartwarming plot, and the tender and loving conclusion, and you too will feel toasty inside!
Readers, young and old, know what it is like to wish to belong to a group. We all can identify with Toasty's dream, to join the pack and be loved the way they are loved. However, we eventually remember how we are treasured just the way we are!
There is a strong possibility that many readers will consider Toasty for their next tattoo, including myself and my co-workers, and who could blame them/us?
September 8, 2021
This is so adorable!! I feel in love with that cover, and so did my teen when she saw it.
Toasty is a piece of toast who wants to be a dog. Toasty lives in a house and sleeps in a toaster. One day, Toasty decides to take his fate in his hands (yes, Toasty has hands - two hands and two feet!) and go out to play with the neighborhood dogs. Anyone who's been around dogs knows what will happen when a piece of toast lands in a group of dogs. But do not worry! Carnage is averted! A little girl saves Toasty.
The artwork is charming in the "outsider art" kind of way. It carries the story along, but it's not my favorite style, which is the only reasonn I'm not giving this five stars.
My daughter and I were both charmed by the author's note, which explains that Hwang lives with her pet toast.
Toasty is a piece of toast who wants to be a dog. Toasty lives in a house and sleeps in a toaster. One day, Toasty decides to take his fate in his hands (yes, Toasty has hands - two hands and two feet!) and go out to play with the neighborhood dogs. Anyone who's been around dogs knows what will happen when a piece of toast lands in a group of dogs. But do not worry! Carnage is averted! A little girl saves Toasty.
The artwork is charming in the "outsider art" kind of way. It carries the story along, but it's not my favorite style, which is the only reasonn I'm not giving this five stars.
My daughter and I were both charmed by the author's note, which explains that Hwang lives with her pet toast.
February 10, 2021
Toasty wishes he was a dog. He knows he's different - doesn't have 4 legs, sleeps in a toaster, has no hair or fur, made of bread, but maybe if he went to the park, they'd play with him. But when the other dogs chase Toasty, he has to hide - on a piece of bread on a sandwich. The girl who wants to eat the sandwich knows Toasty is just what she's been looking for.
Oh, quite silly, and, odd. A piece of toast with a face and arms and legs that wants to be a dog. Almost like the gingerbread man. The illustrations were flat, the dogs strange sizes. Not my taste.
Cross posted to https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
Oh, quite silly, and, odd. A piece of toast with a face and arms and legs that wants to be a dog. Almost like the gingerbread man. The illustrations were flat, the dogs strange sizes. Not my taste.
Cross posted to https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
September 15, 2021
This is a fun little book about a slice of toast that wants to be a dog. It follows its adventures while it goes out and enjoys acting like dog. This is a great book that shows children that they don't need to be self conscious about who they are and they shouldn't think because they look a certain way that they need to be a certain way. This book shows that the best way to live is to be yourself no matter how others might see it.
July 21, 2021
Sorry, my "suspension of disbelief" utterly failed me on this one, from the very first page.
And a little girl eating a sandwich made from BREAD adopting a piece of toast as her pet really was the final insult.
Unless Toasty is made of gluten free bread, of course. Then I can see why no one would want to eat it!
And a little girl eating a sandwich made from BREAD adopting a piece of toast as her pet really was the final insult.
Unless Toasty is made of gluten free bread, of course. Then I can see why no one would want to eat it!
August 11, 2022
This a charming book with bright, colorful illustrations, simple text and a brave piece of toast with big dreams. Toasty loves dogs, and wanted so badly to be one! Watching dogs play in the park, he sets out to join them with a sparkly new ball. Things don't go quite as Toasty hoped, but what follows is laugh-out-loud funny with a surprising and heartwarming ending.
May 9, 2021
If you need a good laugh or reminded you can do anything....
May 10, 2021
Completely weird, but i loved it.
May 25, 2021
One star added because my daughter thinks it's funny. I just can't with anthropomorphized food. Wouldn't it mold?! I know it's not the point, but it's just too ridiculous for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 22, 2021
For a book about an anthropomorphic piece of toast obsessed with dogs, this turns out as well as you could hope.
Cute.
Cute.
January 26, 2022
As someone who is allergic to dogs, I can understand the appeal of Toasty :)
February 17, 2023
Toasty really, really wants to be a dog, but, well, Toasty is...a piece of toast. When he goes down on all fours, he can only see the ground. He has no tail. But at the very least, he can bark and growl like a dog! But even that's not enough to save him when fellow canines at the dog park hound him...until he finds the perfect pet owner!
With absolutely hilarious illustrations and story to boot, this is the perfect book for all dog and breakfast lovers.
With absolutely hilarious illustrations and story to boot, this is the perfect book for all dog and breakfast lovers.
September 17, 2021
This made absolutely no sense but I love the art.
July 20, 2022
Quirky and fun story about a piece of toast who wishes they were a dog! Fun and bright illustrations. Kids will enjoy this.
August 29, 2021
fuck yes
January 3, 2022
Funny book with unexpected twist.
Read
April 7, 2022If a piece of toast doesn't have fur, can't walk on four legs, gets chased by cats and other dogs, but barks and impressive bark, can it live the life of a dog? Very often, the humor in stories for children (as in stories for adults) depends on a philosophical point. This charming, inventive, zany story of a piece of toast who wants to be a dog raises all kinds of questions about identity and possibility.
July 10, 2021
On the Holiday House website, it says that Sarah's "playful art for Toasty came to mind when she saw a piece of toast that reminded her of the way she used to draw dogs as a child." That connected with me so much! I used to draw dogs by creating an upside triangle and then adding two lines for ears and three dots for the nose and eyes. Sarah's illustrations are so adorable and hilarious; they perfectly capture Toasty's exuberant personality and are so accessible to kids. I especially love the image of Toasty leaving the house though the mail slot in the door, haha! Kids and adults will love this laugh-out-loud picture book. I can't wait to read more books by Sarah!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews