I love pugs. I love potatoes. I love puns. This book has them all! Cute story. Cute illustrations. Cute animal-veggie hybrids. I would definitely buy this for a kid in my life if I had any in the right age rang. Truly a delight.

Pugtato is a wonderfully illustrated picture book filled with a lot of play on words that kids and adults will definitely all enjoy. However, I found the story ending a little confusing and felt like perhaps I missed something.

In Pugtato Finds a Thing, Pugtato is digging around in the mud when he finds a shiny round purple round thing. Having no idea what it is, Pugtato starts asking all of his different friends – Tweetroot (a turnip bird), Tomatoad (tomato-looking toad) and many others what they think it might be. Each give their thoughts to Pugtato and begin to use it as they saw best, but none of it felt right to Pugtato. Finally, he gets some advice to follow his heart.

The illustrations are terrific. Bright and vibrant colors are used throughout, but the highlight is how the drawings bring characters to life. Characters like Cowbbage (a cow/cabbage combination) or Purrsnip (a cat/parsnip combo) will delight readers both young and old. I can even picture many fun conversations over each of the animal-vegetables.

Although the pictures were the best part for me, I was left confused by the story. I completely understand that Pugtato finds a purple shiny ball, but I never could figure out what it was, which I knew would be ok because I was sure the ending would do a ‘big reveal.’ However, even the ending left me perplexed as I tried to figure out how hugs and snails and a purple ball went together. After re-reading it several more times I now have an inkling of an idea of what it all might mean, but I’m not sure an adult should have to read it that many times to understand it.

Thanks to Netgalley and Zondervan for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review.

Rating: 3 stars

I very much enjoyed this children's book! My favorite character was the Cowbbage! Sophie did a wonderful job of bringing to life a bunch of vegetables and showcasing how important it is to follow your heart.

I'm definitely a sucker for quirky, fun reads. If it has puns, I'm sold! So when I read Pugtato Finds a Thing by Zondervan, I was smitten! The illustrations are so endearing and funny, and the text itself is just so silly. Blending animals with vegetables is so unique and fun - UniCORN on the COB! Best Spuddies!

I also enjoyed the moral of the story, to believe in yourself even when you feel like others might have better answers than you.

Overall, a simple, sweet, and fun read! I'd recommend it!

Cute illustrations and a story which followed a common one in children's picture books. Visiting various characters to find a solution, in the case of this story, what is the mystery "Thing" that Pugtato found.
The most unique thing about this book were the unique characters, the "punny" names were pretty hilarious, from carRAT to Brussel SNOUTS. Definitely kept me entertained as we read. A fun little story.

Spuddies!!! My 5 and 3 yr olds loves this fun, adventure story about a Pugtato and his new Thing he found. He encounters many different spuddies that can’t figure out what the Thing is. At least, he goes to wise Unicorn on the Cob for answers. My heart melted at the cute drawings, the playful wording of the story and the ending. Definitely a fun tale to read before bed time. Thank you NetGalley & Zonderkidz for my free e-book. This review is my own.

I read this with my six year old daughter and we thought it was super cute. We loved the cleaver mash ups of the animals with the vegetables. My daughter’s favorite was the Unicorn on the Cob. The pictures were nicely drawn and they were very vibrant.

Pugtato finds a thing and roams around to each of his friends to figure out what it is. Pugtato perseveres and figures out what it is.

Such a sweet book for kids to learn how to keep asking about something to figure out what it is.

My daughter said this is the best book she has ever read!

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for my eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating 4.5

The book "Pugtato Finds a Thing" by Zondervan is about the main character Pugtato trying to learn what he found. During his adventure we are introduced to all of his friends and shown how they interact with "Thing". While I enjoyed this story, I had bigger hopes based off of the cover and the synopsis. The story was cute but I found it to be too long, introducing too many characters but this of course if jut my personal opinion. I read the story aloud to a little one and they loved it. However, they did say it was not a good story for bed because it was too long and it did not make them tired. I love how creative the author was in the use of puns but I found myself getting tired of the story towards the end. I do think this book will be perfect for a library storytime centered around vegetables. It is a good way to teach and introduce kids to different kind of veggies. I wanted to read this book based off of the illustrated cover and I am happy to say the illustrations throughout did not disappoint.

Should you read "Pugtato Finds a Thing"?
Yes! Even though this story can feel a little too long it is still an enjoyable read especially for a younger audience. Some kids might need the puns explained but that will help start conversations about different vegetables. This is a book that I would definitely purchase for the library.

**Received an advanced copy through NetGalley in return for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

I really wanted to like this book more than I actually did. It was fun seeing all the other veggie crossovers and the artwork was fun, but the story just kinda fell flat and ended. I would still recommend it as a good library book as the idea and the artwork is great to share!

I'm quite sure all kids will like these illustrations. These hybrids vegetables/animals will capture their attention. The story is really simple and enjoyable and I like the rhyming..
However it is not the most orginal tale and concept but overall it is a nice reading for kids.

Pugtato Finds a Thing is way too adorable! This is the story of Pugtato and his quest to find out what "Thing" is. He asks all of his "spuddies", because he doesn't think he is smart enough to find the answer on his own. In the end, Pugtato not only learns what "Thing" is, but he also learns something very important about himself. This story is great for all children, but especially for those who lack confidence.
I originally decided to read this book because of a 5th grade ELL student of mine. For about three months (before Covid-19), this student blurted out "Potato" at random times, every single day. It was silly, and very endearing. Now, every time I see something with a potato, I have to look at it. This story will always remind me of my sweet, silly student, and left me with a smile on my face.

This book is from NetGalley.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is such a cute book about a pug crossed with a potato, making - Pugtato of course!
As a pug lover I adored this book, and I especially liked how each friend Pugtato went to to ask what this 'thing' was that he had found, was an animal crossed with a vegetable eg Cowbidge, Unicorn etc. I thought this was really clever!
This book is sure to be a hit with little ones!

I cannot get over how adorable the veggie animals are. Pugtato and his journey to follow his heart is beautiful.

It’s a cute book, thoroughly enjoyed your writings.. gave smile on my face while reading, the idea of mixing veggies name with animals. Wishing you the best and waiting for many more writings from you.. All the best
The way you explained about importance of believing our own decisions really helps children to find out the importance of self dependency ..

Pugtato is a super cute hybrid of a potato and a dog. Each of his friends is another vegetable slash animal hybrid as well. When Pugtato finds something shiny and purple and pretty, he doesn’t know what it is, so he asks all his friends to help him figure it out.

This book is about funny vegetable/animal hybrids, friendship, discovering new things, and silly rhymes. I think any child with a sense of humor will enjoy this tale and beg for more of Pugtato and his friends. I cannot wait to share this with my library.

I gave Pugtato 5/5 stars and recommend for kids ages 3 – 7 years old.

Thank you for letting me review this book. What an adorable book!!! I love how the characters are a mix of food and animal. It had some laugh out loud moments. The illustrations are well done and super creative. I will suggest this book for our library collection. #PugtatoFindsaThing #NetGalley

Pugtato Finds a Thing, by: Zondervan
This book draws you in from the start with its cute cover. The cuteness doesn’t end there it carries on through the whole book. Very creative characters that make you giggle as you turn each page. Pugtato offers a valuable message and teaches about taking care of your things and believing in others. This is an easy read and most likely entertaining for grades k-4 due to the cuteness of the character.

This adorable, hilariously punny book celebrates the power of friendship and the importance of believing in yourself. With bouncy rhymes and illustrations that are just as cute as they are funny, this joyful picture book is sure to be a favorite.

This was incredibly sweet!

Pugtato is really cute and their friends are as well. I can totally see a child wanting to re-read this as its rhymes and illustrations are as sweet and cool as Pugtato.

About the illustrations-- I loved them. Not only the writing and animal-vegetables idea is lovely, but the ejecution is as well.

I'd love to have this in my library to re-visit sometimes, when I need a break. And also-- it's great for kids! ;)

This is a cute book introducing vegetables to a child as if they were animals, cute animals with play-on-word names.

The illustration is digital and there is a lot happening on each page, different sorts of text bubbles and colors of text and so on, just a bit of visual conflict (I am an artist and a bit picky on presentation, given).

It's a really cute concept and would allow some great conversation on what are vegetables, and on the gifts of veggies. The main theme is that following one's heart is always the wisest move.

Sweet. A nice addition to a child's library. 3 stars for the visuals that could be a bit cleaner, but a child won't notice that one bit.