In this charming tale Jo has to learn that friendship matters and that there can be more than 2 sides to a story. Through her relationship with a neighborhood dog Jo develops lasting friendships, learns about compromise and how lying can get you into trouble. The artwork is bright and colorful with eyecatching action. It is refreshing that the animal characters act naturally. This title will have broad kid appeal.

*coughs lightly* why yes, I might've read this in one sitting. If the vibrant colors don't pull you in, the puns (truly, some top-tier puns), the furry friends, and the heart so clearly shown in this story will.

I loved the premise of Pawcasso! That and a healthy dose of boredom (I read this in March when the release date wasn't until mid-May…) gave me the brillant idea to start reading. I didn't realize that I had gobbled up the graphic novel. I thought i was so funny that Pawcasso (the dog) was so famous in the town. I mean, I don't blame the people in the town because if I saw a dog grocery shopping by itself, I would be quite impressed as well.

However, there is a mystery element: who is Pawcasso's owner? No one has seen this dog with another human. That is, until Jo somehow finds herself next to him, and then the town start assuming that she is Pawcasso's owner. I was curious about how this misunderstanding/white lies would be resolved, and, honestly, I don't think I could've guessed the ending. Pawcasso considers love and hate; heart and mind; and family, of course.

Naturally, since this is a Remy Lai story, there were so many hard hitting quotes. As much as I wanted to breeze through Pawcasso, there were definitely times when I had to sit back and just absorb what was going on and what was just said. How was it connected to the rest of the story? The larger ideas Remy might've been thinking about while writing and illustrating the story?

Other things I loved: the facial expressions. Remy captures the emotions perfectly, and dives right into these feelings. Memorable expressions were when Jo finds herself starting to weave a web of lies and she needs to dodge questions. Her panic is relatable.

I also really enjoyed the clever art references, since Pawcasso is clearly significantly inspired by art (see: "Pawcasso").

Conclusion: Highly recommend! If you love graphic novels, dogs, bright art styles, heartwarming stories, books centering around family, close neighborhood feels, then Pawcasso might be something to check out! It was quite pawtastic, if you ask me :).

I received an electronic ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group through NetGalley.
Lai's artistic illustrations and gentle writing styles shine in her latest book. Readers meet Jo as she begins a lonely summer break. Then, she starts watching and following a dog who does its own shopping complete with list, money and basket to hold the purchases. From there, she gets lost in a series of lies when she pretends the dog is hers. At first, she's happy to have friends and belong but the summer gets more and more complicated as the entire town becomes involved in leash laws and fan clubbing Pawcasso.
Lai teaches some valuable lessons under the humor. The whole question about love and hate should generate thoughts and discussion for middle grade readers. They will also find themselves somewhere in this story as they connect with parents far from home; wanting to belong; afraid to reach out, and so on.
My readers will appreciate this latest book and I won't be able to keep it on the shelf.

This is a fun graphic novel about a dog. The mysteriousness of where the dog comes from/who it belongs to will hook readers right from the start. Students will love Pawcasso's independence! My students always clamor for dog books and graphic novels. This is the perfect combination and will be popular in my school library!

So cute! I laughed at the protagonist getting more and more exasperated as she got deeper into her lie. A great mix between silly and serious problems. Lots of complex feelings for a fairly quick read.

A relatable story about how one lie can snowball, and the longer you let it go uncorrected, the harder it is to tell the truth. Kids will love the adorable dog on the cover.

A wonderfully engaging story of fitting in, community, and how one allowing one little mistake to slide can lead to a world of trouble.

Joanna Lin is at loose ends over summer break, until an affectionate, spirited dog enters the picture. Every Saturday, “Pawcasso” journeys into town to do his unknown owner’s shopping with the help of a basket and a shopping list. Some of the neighborhood kids mistakenly get the idea that the dog belongs to Jo, and suddenly they are both the center of attention, especially during art class at the Dog Ears bookstore. Can she clear up the confusion without losing her newfound friends? 🐶 Read this sunny, charming, sometimes wistful graphic novel to find out! And stick around for the canine-friendly ice cream recipe at the end!

Upset that her father is going away again on business, Jo discovers a "shopping dog" which she lets other kids believe is her dog. With Pawcasso by her side, Jo now has friends and is interested in art class and reading group. When her non-ownership of Pawcasso is revealed, Jo again finds herself lonely, just like old Mr. Iccc who has led the petition to have Pawcasso removed from roaming the streets unleashed. Some quick thinking allows Jo to find a solution to bring the divided town together and save the friendships she has made. Although her father will still be away from home on business quite a lot, Jo feels better connected to him after he helps her find the solution to the Pawcasso situation. Dog lovers will eat this up faster than a bowl of doggie ice-cream!

Another fantastic graphic novel that I book talked with my students as soon as I finished it. 11-year-old Jo is in town and sees a dog toting around a basket. She becomes curious...
Where did this dog come from?
Where is its owner?
Why does it have a basket?
How is it casually shopping in town?
As she is trying to track down the dog to figure out what is going on, a group of kids assume that the dog is hers. She can't deny it because she is dumbstruck! Soon enough, the whole town is in love with the dog charmingly named Pawcasso. Jo, however, is feeling anxious. She didn't mean for this to happen, and she just wishes she can figure out where this dog is bringing all of these groceries. This was a wonderful graphic novel from Lai and now I wish my dogs could go to the grocery store for me! I’m eager to read Lai’s other books since this was my first.

This book was so stinking cute. I loved the message of friendship, loving from the heart, how past hurt can fuel present hate, and finding friends in times of solitude. The illustrations were excellent, the emotive faces and hilarious dialogue were also so great. This is an excellent elementary school book for independent reading and for a read aloud as well!

Delightful story of art, dogs, friendship, and community! Loved the artwork--kids are going to love Pawcasso!

Interesting storyline, someone looking for a friend and finding a dog. When Jo finds that it is summer, and she is alone with nothing to do, she begins to follow a dog she sees wandering in the neighborhood with a basket. What starts as a small misunderstanding, snowballs into something bigger where soon the safety of Pawcasso is at stake. Well thought out, relevant themes, would be entertaining for a young reader.

Poor Jo seems to spend every waking moment terrified that people will find out she is not really Pawcasso's owner. Kids will sympathize with Jo, who finds events quickly spiraling out of control to the point where she can't even enjoy time with her usually-absent dad.. Pawcasso is adorable, and Jo's facial expressions are hilarious. The town's adults dividing into two factions over Pawcasso seems quite realistic given the current state of our society.

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Kara and Alice have been friends for years, and enjoy reenacting episodes from their favorite show, Shinpi Riders. (Not a real show, as far as I can tell.) When Alice has to move right before middle school starts, Kara is devastated, and when Alice doesn't answer her phone calls, she is inconsolable. She decides to skip the first day of school and ride her bike to Alice's town so that the two of them can catch up, and she can bring Alice back with her if she is unhappy. Along with her ferret, Gidget, Kara starts off, ignoring calls from her mother and using the GPS on her phone until the battery runs out. There are some fun adventures, like helping a boy set up a farm stall and helping a woman whose store was ransacked by a runaway deer, but there are also lots of problems. At one point, she is asleep in an abandoned car when a park ranger finds her and gives her a meal, has her call home, and offers to drive her. Since she hasn't made it to Alice's school yet, she runs away. At the school, the interaction doesn't go well, and she goes to Alice's house, where it isn't any better. Alice has not been happy with the friendship for a long time, and is tired of Shinpi Riders and of always having to do what Kara wants. When Kara starts at her new school, will she be able to find new friends, and will she eventually heal her rift with Alice?
Strengths: It's hard to go wrong with a book about middle grade friendship problems, and young readers often have very strong feelings about certain books or shows (Warriors fans, anyone?).It's good to see this struggle played out between Kara and Alice. The adventure is fun, and I can't think of any other books featuring ferrets. Bonus points for making their own Shinpi Riders masks.
Weaknesses: Kara bikes around the countryside without anyone knowing where she is, with a ferret, and without a helmet! There are so, so many dangerous things that Kara does that I was really irritated as a parent, although young readers will just think about the adventure. I found Kara annoying.
What I really think: The lack of bike helmet, along with the flowing scarf that is bound to get caught in the tires, causing a bad injury (think Edna St. Vincent Millay!) really bothered me. If I have extra money next year, I may purchase.

Jo is a lonely girl whose father is working overseas for long periods of time. She also finds it difficult to make friends. One day while staring out her window, she sees a dog with a basket and no human nearby. She runs out the door to follow the dog. She witnesses the dog go to each shop around the square with a list in the basket and shop. She follows the dog to a bookstore where an art class is taking place. Everyone assumes Jo is the dog's owner, and she isn't able to speak up for herself to contradict them. Her lie eventually gets out of control.

Pawcasso was delightful quick read that young middle school and reluctant readers will love. Jo is a lonely kid struggling with an absent dad. She sees a dog with a basket in its mouth and makes it her mission to find out who's dog he is. When there is a case of mistaken identity, Jo inadvertently is caught up in town politics. This book is phenomenal and deserves heaps of praise for its artistic expression and engaging plot.

This was a wonderful book that tells about dog love, telling the truth, and not to let anger cloud your judgement.

One day Jo meets a unique dog that is shopping on his own. Soon enough a few white lies about owning "Pawcasso" snowball into a full blown almost civil-war between the Picassos and the Duchamps about the leash law within the town. Before she knows it Jo is caught between wanting to tell the truth and be called a liar or keep the lie going and be called a liar when she's found out. I will definitely be recommending this book to my patrons who not only love dogs but as an important lesson about telling the truth.

A sweet story about a young girl who misses her dad and feels that he doesn’t really care about her because he is always away from home. She “accidentally” tells a group of kids that the local “shopping” dog is hers and digs herself a deeper hole each day that she fails to clear up the mistake.

Remy Lai does it again! Once more, the author of Pie in the Sky and Fly on the Wall, delivers a story full of both humor and heart. Unlike the first two stories, Pawcasso is a full graphic novel, and one that will be as loved by young readers as much as the titular dog is loved by Jo and her new friends.
Jo, the ultimate middle child between twin toddlers and a teenage sister, sees an endless summer of boredom ahead of her until she follows a dog carrying a basket. At first concerned that he is alone without his owner, she is awestruck as he goes from one shop to the next to purchase items from a list. When she is mistaken for the dog's owner, she tries to tell the truth, but the misunderstanding snowballs until Jo is fully invested in the lie, spending each Saturday accompanying "Pawcasso" on his rounds and to an art class, where she has begun to make friends. Of course, the ruse cannot go on forever, and Jo's conscience tortures her. As an added stressor, Jo's father works far away from home and his intermittent visits have taken a toll on Jo especially.
In this story about friendships, families, and community, a friendly dog and a lonely girl forge a special relationship that creates a ripple effect in the world around them. Readers will laugh at Pawcasso's antics and commiserate with Jo's anxiety and loneliness. Remy Lai knows how to write a satisfying, hopeful ending that doesn't feel forced, but like placing the last piece in a puzzle. I enjoyed this graphic novel so much, and look forward to sharing it with students!
Thank you to #netgalley, #macmillan, and #holtbooksforyoungreaders for sharing the eARC of this book at my request. Opinions are my own and freely shared.