Home Is Where the Heart Is

Good Dog #1

by Cam Higgins, Ariel Landy (Illustrator)

Meet the loveable and rambunctious puppy, Bo Davis, in this first book of the Good Dog series! When Bo loses something important, his search takes him all over the farm.

Springtime has arrived at the Davis Family Farm! Spring showers lead to muddy hijinks for a young pup named Bo. But when Bo loses his dog tag, he gets serious and enlists all of his barnyard pals to help him find it. From horse stalls to chicken coops to grazing fields and beyond, Bo’s adventure takes him all over the farm, introducing a cast of friends and frenemies.

With easy-to-read language and illustrations on almost every page, the Good Dog chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.

Genres: Childrens, Chapter Books, Animals, Dogs, Middle Grade, Juvenile, Fiction

127 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 15, 2020

Reviews

[s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all] · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been getting into some pretty heady bedtime reading here! Jokes aside, these are really cute and after at least a dozen reads of this I’ve asked my 3 year old to review it so here goes:
Me: why do you like this book so much
3y/o: I just like it! That puppy is PRETTY silly and looks like Zelda!
For reference, Zelda is our dog:

The Bo books are quite cute, and I like how it is a Black family who owns the farm and Bo’s best friend is a 3-legged dog (who is always looking for a monster in the woods). It’s a fun little story with lots of animals, lots of playing in the mud and lots of heart.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute, sweet little story. I loved the illustrations, they (and my youngest son's giggles as I read this) bump it up to four stars for me. The story itself is nothing new under the sun, but it's told in a charming way. The animal cast is great (except for the cats-as-villains which is a trope I never enjoy, though the spiders-as-heroes kinda up for that) and I appreciate that Bo's human family are POC. We are going to get the rest of the books in the series as soon as the library gets them in! :-)

[Mrs. Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by my 5yo:

“I liked when Bo made cute faces. I liked this book because it was an amazing dog book and I like dogs. Bo was funny.”

We can’t wait to read more in the series together.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute beginner chapter book told from a puppy's point of view about his life on a farm with his family and all the other animals. There are illustrations on almost every page to engage the reader. This is the first book in a series and I think my grandsons will like these stories when they're reading on their own. This could be a read-aloud, too.

[Chris Gisler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little bridge book series! Bo is a funny and lovable doggy on the Davis family farm. I can tell my 5 year old enjoys the tone of this style of writing: the cute dog who talks about his human family and all the antics between the farm animal friends. The illustrations seem to fit the characters perfectly.

There is nothing groundbreaking here, but the writing is cute and clever without being cheesy or super boring for this level of book.

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adventure, fun, and friends make this a read to create a smile, but it's Bo, who steals the heart and show.

It's been raining on the farm, which gives Bo the chance to roll in mud with one of his farm friends. His human siblings decide to take him in for a bath, which he enjoys almost as much as mud. But after toweling him off, they discover that his name tag is gone. It's the perfect mystery for Bo, and off he goes across the farm to find it.

This is the first book of an easy-to-read series and builds a wonderful base for all sorts of adventures to come. The tale starts with an introduction of Bo, his life and several of his friends on the farm. All of this is told from Bo's point-of-view and swings a little bit of wit and humor right in. This way, the author builds a great foundation for the story and, still, keeps it interesting. After this, Bo rolls into the first muddy step of his adventures.

The writing is directed toward those, who have a pretty good handle on their words but still need time before hitting 'larger' books. The font is larger for easy reading purposes, and there is an illustration on every page, keeping the entire thing from becoming overwhelming. Plus, the illustrations are fun and really make Bo adorable.

The adventure rolls along in a wholesome, exciting, and grabbing way. Bo's all over the place, and his energy beams off of every page.

[Shoshanah · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a little boy obsessed with puppies (who still can’t believe we don’t have one), Home Is Where The Heart Is by Cam Higgins and illustrated by Ariel Landry, was the perfect book! It’s the first in the Good Dog series, which first released last year.

In the story Bo looses his tag and then searches for it asking for help from the animals on his farm. He interacts with chicken, sheep, barn cats, and others to help track it down.

One thing that surprised me is that Bo’s human brother and sister, Imani and Wyatt are Black. It was a great way to add some diversity to our bookshelves, especially when I wasn’t expecting it.

This was an adorable start of a new series and I’m sure we’ll be seeing the rest in our home soon!

4.5/5

[Chloe (Always Booked) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a cute early elementary series starter! This is about a dog named Bo and his family. He lives on a farm with a boy, girl, mom and dad. He loves to play in mud and hang out with his animal friends and his humans. In this book he loses his dog tag and goes on a hunt to find it.

[Danica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this alongside my (6-year-old) early reader and it was wonderful. A sweet, interesting story he really enjoyed with plenty of both familiar and challenging words. We will definitely continue the series together.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute short chapter book that has kept both of my girls' interest! It does have diverse characters that are running a farm, so that was nice to see.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both my 6 year old daughter and I loved this book! Cute storyline. Perfect for beginning readers who love listening to chapter books and are ready to start working on some on their own.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good entry level chapter book. A simple plot, a little silly, excellent illustrations on every page. My 5 year old is requesting the next in the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cheesy but my Kindergarten liked reading it with me ❤️!

[Veronica Precourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

it was so cute i loved it

[Jennifer Woodson · Rating 5 out of 5]

*SPOILERS*

This is honestly one of my favorite books.
The story, the characters, the suspense, and the sheer cuteness had me reading for quite a while! But I'd have to say that the real star of the show was Bo. I mean, look at that adorable face!

After losing his tag, Bo went on his own little adventure to find it, and ended up finding out about a shiny thing that he looked for for almost the entire book. But it ended up being a bracelet. Yes, you heard me right, a bracelet. Bo was chasing after the wrong thing this entire time.

Then, he went to go see his bestie, Scrapper, who, for some unexplained reason, was born with three legs. Scrapper believes that there is a monster in the forest, but Bo says that he needs to find his tag and he'll help Scrapper find the monster later.

After Scrapper tells Bo that he should retrace his steps, Bo goes back to the barn where he has to confront two sassy cats, King and Diva, who kind of remind me of Hades from Kid Icarus Uprising (lol). The two cats tell Bo to go to the up-upstairs (aka the attic). There Bo finds some very nice spiders who he thought were ghosts for some reason. The spiders tell Bo they found his tag.

After following the spiders' words to the bathroom, Bo finds his tag under a towel. The end.

So yeah, that's basically the whole adventure (WITH SPOILERS). I think y'all can see why I like this book now. Honestly, if I could rate it 10 stars, I would!

Thanks for taking the time out of y'all's day to read this. I really appriciate it.

Sincerely,
Victini

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Mud. Is there anything better than the cool feeling of it against your fur or the way it squishy-oozes between your paws?

Premise/plot: BO is the GOOD DOG (of which the title speaks). Bo has a fabulous life on the farm. He loves his parents (Jennica and Darnell) and his siblings (Imani and Wyatt). He loves all the animals on the farm; he even tolerates the two barn cats, King and Diva. Yes, life is GOOD--just about perfect. But on this perfectly, perfect day which starts out with Bo playing with his friend Zonks (a pig) in the mud, well, it ends with his dog tag turning up missing! Can he retrace his steps and find his special tag?

My thoughts: Bo is cute and adorable, super precious, irresistible. The mystery to solve is light, but who cares when the dog is so sweet, so cute, so lovable??? This is the first book in a new series of early chapter books. The book is heavily illustrated. But I'm not complaining, BO and the others on the farm (including his human family) are adorable.

I liked this one very much. I am definitely going to be seeking out the other books in this series. I want to say there are six books now!!! Would recommend for younger grades in elementary...especially for dog lovers.

[Brooke - TheBrookeList · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Dog is a darling new series by Cam Higgins told from the perspective of Bo, a lovable sheepdog on the Davis family farm. The Davis family sure takes good care of Bo and always tells him he's a good dog, even when he's rolled in the mud. He loses and hunts out his name-tag in this first adventure, introducing us to the other animals and friends on the farm. It's just right for an early reader ready to start out in short chapters, especially if they love a cute and silly puppy and a short mystery.

This book was very similar to the King & Kayla series by Dori Hillestad Butler and reminded us a bit of a classic Nate the Great early chapter book, but from the dog's perspective. Good read, but only four stars from our family personally, because we're just not all that into dog stories.

Reviewed in consideration for Cybils Award Early Chapter book shortlist for 2021.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, early chapter book for students. Bo Davis is a happy puppy, loved by his family and surrounded by farm friends. There’s Zonks, the pig who shares his mud bath with Bo and there’s Nanny Sheep. There’s Scrapper, Bo’s best puppy buddy, and though they are very jumpy, the chickens are nice. The only unfriendly creatures on the farm are the barn cats, aptly named King and Diva.

In his first adventure, Bo loses his special name tag and wants desperately to find it. It is special because his humans, Imani and Wyatt, gave it to Bo when they adopted him. Before that, he didn’t have a tag because he was a shelter dog. So the search is on.

[sincerely · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall disappointed.
It took too long to introduce characters that played really small parts in the larger story. Reading aloud to my kids over the course of a few days, they couldn't even remember who the character references were and neither did I.
No reason, none at all, to put ghosts in a story with a cover that looks like this. Had to skip a handful of pages for my 4 year old.
No reason to have the dog be dishonest about needing to go to the bathroom in order to get outside 🙄 just generally not a great story with poor morals.
The illustrations however are adorable and I loved how responsible the children were!!

[Jacklyn (ReadingBliss) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am prereading a large selection of books for my children and was very satisfied with this one. It was positive and adorable. Completely appropriate for ages 6-9, it’s target audience. I had zero complaints or concerns and would recommend it for boys and girls alike. It has cute illustrations on every page, large font, and double spaced. It’s just about a puppy going through his day on the farm, getting muddy, getting a bath, and finding something lost.

[Everett · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good beginning chapter book for those who are transitioning from Early Readers, but aren't quite ready for long chapter books and novels. If you love books with animal characters, you'll fall in love with Bo and his familiar dog antics. The text is simple and straightforward with a little mystery added to keeps readers engaged with the story.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules is obsessed with these cute stories. They’re perfect for 2nd/3rd grade readers who want a chapter book to read on their own but are overwhelmed by books that are much longer than this. I’ve been reading them on the side to just check for content and while they aren’t my favorite, nor are they fantastic literary works, they’re cute and wholesome and exactly right for my girl to read.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early chapter book with illustrations on every page.

Bo is a happy young dog living on a farm. After playing in the yard and then getting a bath, he discovers his tag is missing. He travels around the farm looking for it.

Really, this feels like an excuse to introduce all the supporting characters.

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for young readers! It’s a little chapter book that uses straightforward English and has a few cute illustrations throughout. I would recommend this book to young readers that like farmyard animals and the shenanigans that farmyard animals can get in to!

[Sarah]

Such a cute book and a great little reader for my 7 year old, who is slowly learning how to read. Bo is such a funny dog, and he is up to all sorts of antics. The accompanying illustrations are charming as well.

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I found this series! Sweet illustrations and storyline. It was perfect for me to read aloud to my 3yo in two sittings and for my 8yo to read on his own. Reminds me a bit of a black and white Mercy Watson. Told from the dog’s perspective and featuring a Black family.

[J.T. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story. Adorable doggy and his life on a farm. Good clean fun (maybe a little muddy) with no magic and good morals for children.

My daughter loves these books and reads them in one sitting.

We'll be getting more for sure.

[Jaclyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm previewing books to read with my first grade students. This one would be a great fit. Who doesn't love an adorable dog? Bonus: He solves mysteries. Super cute story. Perfect book for those readers ready for an easy chapter book.

[Olivia Dlugiewicz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bo Davis he’s a good dog with a heart so good and he loves mud so much and he like to get clean and one day he’s tag went missing and he was sad about it because he had it since he was a pup and he found it on a towel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love it so so so so so much
Because I can relate to him

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice book. My daughter found plenty to laugh about. A dog gets very muddy and needs a bath, but afterward he can't find his name tag. He searches the farm and talks to the other animals. I thought it was very fitting that the cats were evil.