Note: I received an unbound galley of this book from the publisher. ( )

~ borrowed from the Library

BUSTER, THE VERY SHY DOG is at the 2nd Grade Reading Level --about the middle of the year. This book has 755 words and is described as a Chapter book, although in reality it's not so much a chapter book as it is a book with two stories.

I adore this book. I read my first Buster book about two weeks ago and immediately went back to the library to get more. I mean, there aren't many early readers that make me laugh. This series does.

The first story is about how Buster came to live in Roger's household with the other cats, dog, and hamster. He was small and very shy. Over time he grew to be a large dog, but he remains shy.

When someone came to visit,
Buster would run and hide.
Most people met Buster by accident.

... and the artwork shows a lady hanging up her coat in the closet, and consequently getting her first glance at Buster.

It's a birthday party that provides the excitement. So many people and so much cake and ice cream. Children end up chasing Buster in a friendly way, but ultimately he ends up under the back porch. And he would have stayed there except for a little girl who is crying because she doesn't know anyone at the part.

Buster comes out and the two together manage to make the best of things.

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The second story deals with Buster worrying because he is not as clever Phoebe, the other house dog. Phoebe can catch and is not shy. The story ends with Buster discovering that he can do things Phoebe can't.

OVERALL I found both these stories to be good ones to share. The second story can open up discussions about how we all aren't the same and that sometimes we have to wait to find out what we are extra good at.

The first story shows a lot of heart and I think can be used to talk about how some people/kids like lots of excitement and some like a quieter way of doing things.

The font in this book is still fairly large and there are up to 6 lines of text. The artwork adds to the humor.

If your library has this series it's well worth tracking down.

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Note that there is an older edition of this book that has 48 pages --instead of the newer versions 32 pages. This book includes a third story titled, BUSTER AND PHOEBE MEET THE GARBAGE BANDIT.

This story hinges around the fact that good dogs Buster and Phoebe are blamed for a mess someone else made with the garbage. They do find the culprits and clear their good names, but not without some mishaps.

Not sure why this story was dropped. Perhaps it comes down to profit. It also might be that the third story was not at the second grade reading level.

. ( )

Great introduction to chapter books. Large font, plenty of pictures, cute story. ( )