Merz starts his Parker the Homeless Dog series with this heartwarming debut of a young puppy, drawn from Merz’s own experience with a rescue dog, searching for her forever home. The story starts with the picture-perfect dreams of every dog—sleeping in a fluffy bed, playing fetch, and hanging out with family—but quickly detours into reality for this book’s sweet protagonist: sleeping under cars, searching through trash for breakfast, and hunting for clean water to drink, all while dreaming of “having a home and family of my very own.” From there, readers will join the often-frightening adventures of a dog without a home, from bullies to dogcatchers to an endless hunt to stave off starvation for one more day.

Younger readers will instantly fall for Merz’s soul-eyed, happy-dancing pup, who, despite the hard knocks of her life on the street, manages to keep an innocent trust in the world around her. Every time she runs into people, she tries her best to impress, in hopes of finding a friend; more often than not, that ends with her mistreatment, as when a group of school children laugh at her and throw rocks, prompting her to cry “why don’t those kids like me?” Readers will be crushed at the puppy’s despair, and empathize with her melancholy: “I’m cute, I dance, and I give smiley smiles. What’s not to like” she whimpers.

Thankfully, this teary tale has a warm, fuzzy ending, as the puppy meets a teacher named Jean, who steps in at just the right moment to save her from calamity, gifting her with a collar and a name of her own—Parker. Hefke’s bold illustrations bring Parker to vivid life, from her expressive puppy eyes to her excited jumping, and her declaration at the end—that a collar “feels so good… Like love” will thaw even the hardest hearts.

Takeaway: Sweet tale of a pup finding their forever home.

Comparable Titles: Lisa Papp’s Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog, Kelly Collier’s The Imposter.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: B+
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A