Pawcasso by Remy Lai

Summary from Goodreads:

Middle grade graphic novel. Pawcasso is a basket-toting dog who does his family's grocery shopping on his own. When 11-year-old Jo is mistaken as his owner by a group of kids, she goes along with the lie in the hopes of making new friends. Soon the town becomes divided over whether Pawcasso should be allowed to roam free, and Jo worries that her lies will be exposed—and endanger Pawcasso and her new friendships.

Review:

This was a sweet, light graphic novel with lots of cute doggie moments. I’m not going to lie; I picked this up because of the adorable dog holding a basket on the cover. I’m sure a lot of kids will do the same thing. The art in here was great. If it was a cartoon, I’d watch it. And I don’t watch a lot of cartoons. Everything was bright, colorful, and easy to flip through. I read this super quickly.

The story is about a kid who lies about having a special dog to make more friends. Who can’t relate to a kid who wants to make more friends? But, it also becomes one of those stories where you cringe with embarrassment because the lie she tells gets bigger and bigger and spins out of control. The dog gets her friends, then a free art class and books, then the dog becomes a local celebrity, and then more!

I like how involved the town gets in deciding things about dogs. I can see some people thinking this isn’t realistic, but for me, I related to this so much! The town I work in gets very involved like this, even about dogs (or dog parks). I’m not sure any decisions would ever happen so quickly….but, graphic novels go fast. Anyway, I liked the demonstration of civic engagement. I also liked how prominent books and art were here. There are book stores, ice cream shops, and art classes. This is definitely a book with a strong focus on community, the arts, and dogs. What’s not to like?

Some of the storyline with Pawcasso’s real family felt a little soap-opera-y to me. And I’m not sure I loved how it all went down with Jo and the friends group in the art class toward the end. But all in all, this was a sweet story about friendship, dogs, and community. I give it an 8/10.