Michael The Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog tells the hilarious story of a small dog with big dreams! Michael tells the story of his attempt to become famous in his own inimitable style and shares some of his mind-reading secrets in this hilarious, pun filled adventure which takes him from the small town of Snuffles-by-Sea to Hollywoof!
The Story: Sausage Dog Michael wants to be famous but he doesn’t know how. When he meets Stanley Big Dog in the park he accidentally discovers that he can read Stanley’s mind! Michael enters a local talent show with Stanley Big Dog as his assistant but his attempt to read another dog’s mind is unsuccessful. A chance meeting with Stanley’s Uncle Humphrey leads them to Hollywoof but when they get there Michael is dismayed to learn that he won’t be mind-reading, he’ll be assisting his rival, Susan, the chocolate labrador in her peanut balancing act. But after all the dogs in the show get kennel cough things start to change…
Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog includes a colourful cast of characters. Michael’s sidekick, Stanley Big Dog, makes us laugh. He’s always eating which doesn’t just land him in trouble but affects other characters too. There’s no love lost between Michael and his rival, Susan, the previous winner of ‘Search for a Su-paw-star’. She’s bigheaded and delights in telling him what to do, she loves to be in the limelight and doesn’t like the idea of another dog stealing it.
Ambitious Michael reminds us of Buster Moon in Sing and Sing 2, he’s determined to make it big but his road to fame doesn’t go smoothly and his initial experiences in Hollywoof are frustrating. His attempts to make his dream happen drive the story and show that with enough persistence and determination even a small dog can make it big!
There is so much wonderful wordplay which adds to the humour in the story. Some of our favourites include Whippety Houston and her song, My Bark Will Go On, pawtographs, puppaccino and Pooch airlines.
Tim Budgen’s black and white illustrations are fabulous. The body language and the expressions on the dog’s faces are brilliant and evoke so many different emotions. We love the gold waistcoats and snazzy bowties that Michael and Stanley wear for their act.
Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog is a heartwarming story of friendship, rivalry and pork chops. It’s a fun story for a beginner reader who is transitioning from picture books to early chapter books and will be especially appealing to young dog lovers.
Age Range: 7 +
Author: Terrie Chilvers / Illustrator: Tim Budgen
Thank you to Netgalley for the review copy. You can read the first chapter of Michael the Amazing Mind-Reading Sausage Dog on the Firefly website.
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