Phyllis Kennemer, Ph.D. (Children's Literature)
Marley’s mischievous ways keep his family and their home in a mess most of the time. When Marley finishes the food in his dish, he eats food from the table. If his water bowl is empty, he drinks from the toilet. The bigger he grows the bigger the messes. He chews everything in sight, including Daddy’s paycheck. He breaks through the screen door chasing a squirrel and digs up the flower bed trying to hide during a thunderstorm. He eats cookies cooling on the rack and even climbs up the cabinets to eat a chocolate cake on top of the refrigerator. Finally, Mommy has had enough! Marley must go. Daddy puts an ad in the newspaper and Marley greets each prospective owner with his usual energetic lunge and sloppy kiss. But when Baby Louie climbs to the top of the refrigerator, Marley comes to the rescue and earns the admiration of the family. Finally, Marley hears “Good dog” instead of “Bad dog.” Colorful pictures placed on white backgrounds capture the chaotic action of the story. Unfortunately, the text is choppy with unexpected changes in point of view, which detracts from the book’s potential as a read aloud. 2007, HarperCollins Publishers, $16.99. Ages 5 to 8.

Paulette Braucher-Watton (Kutztown Book Review, Spring 2008)
Marley, a rambunctious puppy, causes lots of trouble in his new home, and feels very bad about it, but he just can’t help himself. Things go from bad to worse. He is so bad that his family finally advertises for a new home. In the end, Marley saves the day (and baby Louie) and proves beyond a doubt that he is a valuable member and he gets to stay with his family. The illustrations are cute but I did not care for this book. Category: . 2007, HarperCollins, $17.89. Ages 5 to 9.

Nicole Williams (The Lorgnette-Heart of Texas Reviews (Vol. 20, No. 1))
The family in this story is so excited to have a new puppy in their home. The puppy, however, doesn’t stay small for very long and the bigger he gets the more trouble he gets into. The puppy gets into such big, bad trouble that the family even considers giving him away! My students enjoyed this story even more when they discovered that it is about a real dog. The author, John Grogan, has written an adult book, Marley and Me, that has many more pictures that can be shared with the children. Both books show that you can put up with a lot if you really love someone. Fiction. Grades n/a. 2007, HarperCollins, Unpaged., $17.89.