This is a beautiful children's story about loss, love and healing. Oz is a puppy who has learnt not to bark. His first home was one of fear and hostility but now he lives very quietly in a rescue shelter.

Patrick is visiting his grandfather whilst his dad is away in Australia. He misses his dad and the things they would have done over the summer. Patrick is surprised and delighted when his mother buys him a dog because his dad is allergic to dogs. This dog is special because it doesn't bark and Patrick is determined to help this dog find his bark again.

What follows then is a lovely story about love, loss and healing. Patrick names the dog Oz and helps him find his bark but something happens along the way when Patrick realises that he too has lost something. As Patrick deals with his own loss can Oz help him recover in turn?

I requested this from Netgalley because it was written by Eoin Colfer and I knew that it would have excellent illustrations. Not only did the story have excellent illustrations it also tells a really beautiful story. It tells us a story about hope and how we can still love even when the people we love hurt us.

Definitely going on my list of exquisite reads for 2019. Highly recommended for both children and adults.

Copy provided by publishers via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is a well written book about a young boy and his first dog. I totally enjoyed the beautiful illustrations by P.J. Lynch. I must admit I wanted to be fair in my review, so I read through the story twice. I am not sure what age group this story is targeted for. I found it quit dark and sad to be for younger children. It is true there are way too many dogs mistreated and too much divorce and desertion, like Patrick's dad. But I found the book heart-wrenching not heartwarming. On the positive side there is a very kind shelter worker named Zane. He understands and truly cares about the animals in the shelter. He would try to match the right pet with the perfect owner. He gave Patrick advice on taking care of Oz. Because of him being a battered and miss treated puppy, Zane knew he would need lots of patience and understanding. Patrick and his mother have moved in with Grandfather when his father left them for another woman and life. Grandfather is loving and kind. Being a music teacher, the house is always full of music and magic. Even though Patrick gave Oz back to the shelter he went back to get him. So you can say in one way this story has a happy ending.
I am an advid dog lover. We have rescued all of our dogs and I support our local shelters. I know it was realistic but I had a hard time with all of the abuse, especially in a children's book. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Candlewick Press through NetGalley. The opinions in this review are my own.

The Dog Who Lost His Bark is an engaging book for children and adults alike. Written by Eoin Colfer and illustrated by P.J. Lynch the story unfolds as it covers some big issues, issues both dog related and people related. I really like the way that the book makes use of how dogs understand the words that they hear humans say. The book has used capitalization of key words, just like dogs process what we say to them. During his first experience with a family, he hears the same word over and over, STUPIDDOG. He also knows that when the little boy in the family pokes him in the ribs and hurts him, he thinks SORE to communicate with the reader. What a great way to tell a story from the dogs point of view. As a dog lover, of course this was hard to read as the book began, but it showed up front that this was going to be an honest telling of the story. I'm happy to say, things get better for both the dog and the human as the story progresses!

Patrick is the boy character in this story and he names this wonderful dog Oz. Patrick has wanted a dog, forever, but his father is allergic to dogs so they never could adopt a dog into their family. This summer, Patrick and his mom are going to stay with Patrick's Grandad, because his father is away in Australia for his music career. Things seemed a bit strange to Patrick when his mother suggests that they get Patrick a puppy, however he was so excited at the prospect of getting a dog and getting a friend to play with over the summer. As he looked at the dogs that he could adopt he saw a dog that was curled into a ball (because Oz had learned that humans want a dog that is quiet, with the last family). When Patrick saw that this dog had a splash of white on his black fur that looked like Australia, he knew that this would be his dog and would be named Oz.

However, Zane who helps to match the right dog with the right human, suggested that Oz had a lot of issues and maybe he wasn't the right dog for Patrick. After all, Oz had completely lost his bark and needed extra attention. He explained that Oz had been through a lot, but Patrick knew that this was the dog for him. Things were rocky at the start of their time together. Oz would not leave the safety of his crate, and wasn't eating anything even though Patrick did everything to let Oz know that he could be trusted and he would help him find his bark again.

Things moved slowly but eventually Oz gave Patrick a shot and found that he was the AWESOME boy that he had been looking for. With some help from Patrick's mom, Zane and even Oz's mom, he got his bark back and began to enjoy life as a dog with a special boy for a best friend. However, just like Oz had things to work through, Patrick keeps questioning things about his dad and the truth finally comes out. Now, it's Patrick that is retreating into himself and making decisions that will affect Oz, unless he can figure out how to help him in return.

The Dog Who Lost His Bark is a great book about the ways that dogs and humans react and respond to each other. Helping each other by using their own skills to make things better for their best friends. A must read for anyone that has loved an animal and benefited from that relationship.

Thank you, Netgalley and Candlewick Press for the advanced review copy in an exchange for an honest book review.

This book is about a dog who lost his bark due to abuse and neglect. The story evolves when Patrick picks Oz from the animal rescue shelter. Patrick, his mother, and grandfather help Oz to restore his bark. But towards the end, Patrick finds out why his dad isn't coming home. This book will make you cry, but it will help young kids deal with family issues.

Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby.

This is a heartwarming story about a little boy Patrick and his rescue Dog Oz. It is well written and appropriate for a wide age range of children. The themes throughout the book include some heavier topics like divorce and animal cruelty so some discussion about these elements may be needed by adults to children as the story is being read. However, the topics are well presented. The story gave me feelings at times that were reminiscent of Where The Red Fern Grows. There is just something about the love between a boy and his dog and the friendship and comfort they provide to one another that is timeless. This book has all the potential of becoming a modern classic and I highly recommend!

This was an adorable story about a dog and his boy. Seeing the world from the dog’s perspective was wonderful and I actually wish we could have seen more of it during his early days with Patrick. There were a lot of rough challenges discussed throughout the book for both Patrick and Oz. There were some good pet care tips, the most of which is to be patient. I was not too thrilled about the all capitalized words as some of them made sense as words that impacted the dog, yet others just seemed to be random. Overall a great book for kids dealing with divorce or getting a new dog.

I really wanted to enjoy this book because the blurb sounds so engaging, uplifting and enchanting. Unfortunately, I felt this book was stilted and lacked any interest. There are capital words used at random interludes with no real reason for doing so. It doesn't set a good literary example for children and it disrupts the flow of the text (both when reading aloud and when reading in your head). I was left feeling underwhelmed and disinterested.

This is a very sweet story about a puppy that has been abused and then adopted by a little boy who's parents are separating. The art work is highly detailed and emotionally engaging. The characters are interesting and well thought out and the problems are realistic. I think this is going to be a great one for beginning chapter book readers-it looks big and with 10 chapters, it will appeal to kids wanting to read chapter books. The illustrations will help them with deeper understandings. I think the elementary kids are going to like this one a lot.

Thank you, NetGalley for the digital ARC of this children’s short novel.

Dog books! Darn dog books! They will forever and always make me cry. This story is sad and sweet and wonderful and makes your heart break for all the mistreated animals out there in the world. The story is told from the perspective of a puppy in some chapters and the young boy who enters his life. The puppy has gone through his fair share of trauma and the boy works to bring joy and happiness into the puppy’s life when suddenly the boy is faced with his on family issues, and the puppy must save his boy now.

Seriously just a sweet and beautiful book about the bond between a puppy and a boy. Would make for an excellent read aloud in grades 2-4, but make sure to have a box of tissues handy.

This is written as a Children's chapter book, and it really packs a punch emotionally. Beautiful illustrations, just lovely! Only, there is a really bitter undercurrent that made me uneasy. Not for every child. I cannot recommend this book.