Guinea Dog Collection: Books 1–3

Gr 3–7—This light animal tale has friendship at its core. Fifth grader Rufus wants a dog, but his father's hates the animals. When his mother buys a curiously dog-like guinea pig, will Rufus be happy? In book two, word of Fido the guinea dog has made Rufus a celebrity at school. He responds by trying to train the dog-like tendencies out of Fido. Guinea Dog 3 finds Rufus, his family, and his friends camping at the lake where they make a new friend and find a guinea pig who loves the water. A colorful cast of characters surrounds Rufus and Fido, making for lively fun. Jesse Bernstein's narration is well done, the characters are distinct and well formed, and aside from the books' multiple lists, which get tedious in audio form, this audiobook is a solid choice for any juvenile audiobook collection. Fans of Dietlof Reiche's "Golden Hamster Saga" and Betty G. Birney's "According to Humphrey" series will love this stories about a boy and his guinea dog.—Susan Stumbaugh, Naperville Public Library, IL