I read this with my 8 year old daughter as we have 2 pitbulls and she didn't understand why they were not adopted at the shelter when we got there. We have had them since 8 weeks and 5 months old. This book was great to touch on the unfair prejudice placed on pitbull dogs, as they are sweet babies. I loved how they showed the trials and tribulations these dogs face on the daily. Our favorite part was when Holly got her happiness! IT was the sweetest story, and I hope to see more positive image stories to come regarding pitties in the future!

This book is depressingly happy. It is about a little puppy Holly who is adopted at Christmas and as they get older and the parents realize that Holly is a pit-bull and not whatever they thought they were getting, they leave her on the side of the street abandoned. Holly just wants to make friends and have a human in her life, but no one will let her because she’s a pit-bull and Pitbull’s are deemed dangerous. After getting picked up by animal control, the pound has a special day just to adopt pit bulls. Holly does find a new forever home and learns that pit bulls are not inherently dangerous. This book has a fantastic message but at the same time I hate that this message needs to exist. A pit-bull is only as dangerous as the person raising it. They’re one of the smartest and most affectionate dogs there is. Some humans are too stupid to realize it. I love this books message; I just wish you didn’t have to exist.

This is a sweet book about a poor dog who gets abandoned by their family when the family realizes the puppy is a pit bull. The pit bull navigates around hate from strangers until it is taken in by a shelter. The shelter has an event called a 'Pittie Party' where families get to meet the pit bulls and bond to adopt. Eventually the pup gets adopted.

It isn't a must buy, but could be a second purchase.

A touching tale of prejudice and finding a forever home. Holly is a pit bull puppy. Abandoned on the street because of animosity against pit bulls, she struggles to fit in. All Holly wants is to be loved, cuddled, and to be a lifelong friend. Luckily she ends up in a shelter that throws a pittie party to match pit bulls with loving families.

Many pets are abandoned every day because of prejudice. If it’s superstitions around black cats or fear because of certain dog breeds. Holly was lucky to find a forever home, but most abandoned pets die on the streets or in shelters. Getting informed can help not only animals but yourself.

Holly and the Pitty Party is a colourful, emotional, and funny story about a puppy trying to fit in.

A quickly-read, and very colourful, look at the life of a pitbull terrier. Dumped on a city corner by a family when she got too big, she tries and tries to get accepted – by strangers, by the dog park's keeper, by the rangers – but it takes a mass love-in for pitbulls (hence the odd-seeming spelling in the title) to have any hope. Pity and pitties (as nobody I know of calls them) combine, and whereas I hate books that just ramp up the pester power for a child to want a pet in inappropriate circumstances, this isn't about giving kids ammo to demand a pooch – for one thing the adopters here are adult, and for another this might not even be about dogs at all, such is its clarion call for acceptance and against prejudice.

Loved this picture book! Pit bulls are labeled as an aggressive breed as a whole. This shows that just because a dog is a pit bull doesn't make them all bad dogs.

I love this book! As owner of a dog walking company, active in the pet community, I’m all to aware of the misconceptions about Pit Bulls. I’m thrilled that there’s such an effort to push back on that- and that this lovely and artfully illustrated book helps reach children.

Thank you to author Julian Frischherz, illustrator Leesh Li, North Star Editions, Jolly Fish Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

I received an electronic ARC from North Star Editions through NetGalley.
Frischherz sets out to inform readers that pitbulls have gotten a bad reputation. Hence the first family raising this puppy, Holly, and then abandoning her in the city. Eventually, after a lot of misadventures, Holly is adopted by a new couple who are excited to adopt her. Though I acknowledge the sad truth behind so many portions of this story, it would have been nice to see some portions that were not written as simply all bad or all good from the humans included in the narrative.
The artwork captures the emotions felt by both the animal and human characters. I appreciated the gentle care shown at the pound.

This children's book with very cute color illustrations will appeal to dog lovers, especially owners of Pit Bulls. It tells the story of Holly being adopted by a nice family, only to be abandoned when she grows up to be a "scary" pit bull. Ultimately we have a happy ending with a "pittie party" (cute name) at the shelter, with Holly finding a loving family to adopt her.

The message of adoption, the helpful role of dog rescues, and importance of educated families adopting pets is a fantastic one! Pub date 7/25/23.

Unfortunately, two-thirds of the book tells a very sad story of an abandoned dog in the city, trying to find friends and care-givers, only to be excluded and ultimately locked up to go to the shelter. I found this message a too sad for the target audience of 4-8 year olds, even for dog-loving families.

Thank you, Jolly Fish Press, and NetGalley, for providing an eARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

#jollyfishpress @jollyfishpress #netgalley @netgalley #dogrescue

Thoughts: This story hit home for me. I have 2 pitbull dogs that we rescued as puppies. They are the most loving dogs and they get a bad rap because of their breed. The story shows how this breed is misunderstood and how shelters are filled with pitbulls because they are supposed to be “bad” dogs. Kudos to the author for showing kids that not all dogs are mean and hurtful. I also hope this raises awareness of the breed.

An important story with fun illustrations that might just make you want to go to a pittie party!
Heartwarming and motivating but at the same time showing the harsh realities of dogs who get abandoned.

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Netgalley.)

Once upon a time, Holly was a beloved companion animal, with a home and a family to call her own. But, when she got older and her pit bull features became more prominent, her people drove her into the city and dumped her. Now a street dog, Holly tries her best to make friends with the dogs and humans around her - but quickly finds that everyone is afraid of pit bulls. When she lands in the pound, Holly thinks that there must be some mistake - cages are for "bad dogs," right? Much to her surprise, she finds that the humans at the shelter are kind and caring - and totally unafraid of a pittie pup like her. So much so that they're throwing her a party - one filled with humans looking for dogs JUST LIKE HER (!).

HOLLY AND THE PITTIE PARTY is, well, forking adorable. Author Frischherz tackles animal rescue and breed-specific discrimination in a gentle and sometimes silly way, and Li's illustrations are delightful. I especially love the panels where Holly tries to disguise herself as a Great Dane, chocolate lab, and poodle in order to sneak into the dog park. And readers of all ages will be cheering when Holly realizes that the "pittie party" is really an adoption event - and she (and all the other pups) leaves with her forever family.

This is a sweet story about a puppy who is misjudged because she's a pitbull. It starts out sad, but never fear Holly finds a family that will give her the love she deserves. No doubt, this touching story will inspire readers to give real pitbulls their own happy endings.

This broke me.

This little sad story tells the story of an adopted puppy growing up to be a pit bull breed and so the family abandoned the dog.

Holly searches for food and love from everyone she meets but ends up being ignored and harassed just because she's a "dangerous" dog breed.

However, that is NOT the case.

Holly gets adopted by a wonderful loving family at a fun pittie party where there’s nothing but pit bulls.
She gets adopted by a wonderful couple who loooves her.


I broke because of how sad it was (and how this really does happen), but also made me miss the pit bull I had…. she was the sweetest dog and I miss her so much.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review.

This book made me cry, and I'm not even a dog person. But I am a firm believer that you should not ever give a pet as a gift, and that's exactly how this book starts. Then the family realizes the cute puppy that they got for Christmas (I think) is a pitbull and they abandon it on the street where she is left to fend for herself until animal control catches her. She's one of the lucky ones though and ends up in a shelter that puts on an event specifically to get pits adopted and she does find a forever home.

The illustrations were so colorful with solid lines. They were definitely eye-catching and engaging and absolutely showed the emotions of the story for Holly. I wouldn't want to read this book too many times because I'm pretty sure it would make me cry for several readings, and that is not what I want from a children's book, although I bet that would help the kids understand how wrong it is to give up a pet like that. Overall I give this book 4.86 out of 5 stars.

I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher.
The book starts with Holly living on the street, trying to adjust to her new life after she was abandoned because her owners discarded her when they realized that she was a pit bull. Then, she is taken to the pound where, after some time there is a party for dogs just like her. At the party, Holly finds a new family that loves her for who and what she is.
While the book starts off sad, the reader watches Holly struggle to get into a dog park by disguising herself as other breeds, it soon turns hopeful and then happy. It definitely sends the message that all dogs are lovable, no matter the breed.

This is the story of Holly a pitbull puppy who has been abandoned by her family. Holly doesn't understand why she was abandoned, why one day her family just stopped loving her and snuggling her. Holly tries to make friends with humans but none of them want to be her friend because she is a pitbull. Holly tries to go to the dog park but pitbulls are not allowed. Holly gets taken to the pound and Holly does not understand why when the pound is where the bad dogs go, does that mean Holly is a bad dog too just because she is a pitbull? At the pound Holly goes to a Pittie Party with many other pitbulls and many humans who are not afraid of them because they know that there is nothing wrong with the dogs just because they are pitbulls. Holly learns that there is nothing wrong with her just because of who she is.

This is a bittersweet story. I cannot imagine getting a pet then totally abandoning it to fend for itself. There are many other alternatives that are safe and humane to get rid of an unwanted animal.

A family gets their kids a puppy for Christmas and when they realize its a pit bull, dangerous breed they think, dad takes it into the city and lets it go. Holly finds herself on her own trying to manage life so she can survive. Many of the city folk are unwilling to help her because they too believe she is a dangerous breed.

Holly's journey of survival leads her to a city dog park, an animal shelter and finally to a pittie party. She is fortunate to find acceptance and love at that party.

The wonderful illustrations are very well done and make the text come alive. I am so thankful the story has a happy ending and Holly not only finds hope in her life but love also. I love the book and highly, highly recommend it.

I think Holly and the Pittie Party is the first picture book that has made me cry - first with pity for sweet Holly the Pittie, then with happiness. Hollie the Pittie had a loving home as a puppy, but when she grew up her owners recognized her as a pit bull, and pit bulls are DANGEROUS! Instead of being responsible pet parents, they simply abandoned Holly in the city, where she obediently stayed as she was told. Holly finally ended up in the pound, where she was confused because she thought bad dogs went to the pound, and she didn't think she had been bad. The Pittie Party of the title is an adoption event, for Pitties only, sponsored by the pound, where all the sweet Pitties are adopted. I love this book not only because it is a cute book with adorable pictures but because of the important subject matter. Pit bulls are considered dangerous by so many people and are even banned in some cities. Their bad reputation comes from the training many received from irresponsible owners, some of whom used them for dog fights. In truth, pit bulls are no more dangerous than any other breed and are typically very sweet-tempered. Information about the author, Julian Frischherz, says "Holly and the Pittie Party imagines a world in which all dog breeds are loved equally." Hurray for that thought! Thank you to NetGalley and North Star Editions for the ARC of this beautiful book.

This is a very cute book with a charming doggie at its center. The illustrations are very cute and I enjoyed the story.

But I don't think it is a wise idea to teach children that any dog breed is totally safe and friendly, especially not the breed that is often reported to be responsible for the highest amount of bite attacks, at least in the US (this is not opinion- it's a research-backed statistic by organizations like the AAHA). Children need to be taught reasonable caution when it comes to large dogs and I feel like this book fails in that regard. It doesn't even have an informational section about how kids should safely interact with dogs (not pulling their tails, trying to ride them, etc), which I feel a book on this topic really needs. I hope that parents and educators using this book as a resource will also teach their children how to respect animals and how to be safe around them.