I, Jack by Patricia Finney

I, Jack, by Jack the dog as told to Patricia Finney, tells the story of Jack, a yellow Labrador who lives with a family of 5 humans and 3 cats.  Jack has written a book (all by himself except for little help from the cats who provided the footnotes).  It is about his adventures with the next door neighbor's dog Petra.  When Jack meets Petra, it is love at first sight.  Now Petra is getting fat and her owners have put on a diet so Jack is forced to hunt for her food.  He invites Petra into his house, and they go into his big white cold cupboard where they find chicken, pizza, and lamb.  Oh yum!   Jack is such a clever packleader, he thinks but no, his owner are very, very mad.  They call him a bad dog and tell him he can't have any dinner.  Jack is so sad.  And now Petra is acting weird.  Is she sick?  She is smelling very strange and even threatens to bite him.  "GRR," she says, "Go away or I will eat you."  What will Jack do?

This a great book for kids in grades 3-5.  Jack's antics will tickle your funnybone.  As a pet owner, I enjoyed reading about life from a dog (and the cats') point of view. 

Reviewed by Mary S., Head of Youth Services