Marisol, who lives in Puerto Rico, wants a dog very much buat her grandfather will not let her have one, until a skinny mutt wins him over.

I like this book for a few reasons. In the beginning there is a contents section as well as a "glossary." It says "Spanish words in the story," and lists different Spanish words like Dona (madame), vete (scram), que cosa (my goodness), and lo vi (I saw him). I think this is very cool because they are not just basic words, some are a little more complex. I also like that this is in the beginning because readers will know what the words mean before they begin reading the story. Another reason I liked the book was the change in the Grandfather's emotions. In the beginning, Grandfather says, "I told you not to pet the dogs. They have fleas and ticks and who knows what," but then he lets Marisol pet the dog and that is the start to the dog becoming their own. Slowly and slowly Grandfather begins to accept the dog, Pancho, by letting Marisol buy him a flea collar, dog food, and giving him leftover food.

The big message/idea of this book is to never judge a book by its cover. Grandfather was quick to make assumptions in the beginning by generalizing that "all dogs have ticks and fleas and whatever else," and when Marisol bought him the collar he said, "he won't like having a collar on" and after she put it on he says, "that's odd, I didn't think he would like it." He made so many assumptions in the beginning without giving Pancho a true shot, but his love for Marisol and her happiness helped changed his view and he grew to love the dog because at the end Pancho goes missing and Grandfather says, "I'm up because I was looking for Pancho." ( )

The Outside Dog is an early chapter book about a girl who wants a pet dog. She finds a stray that she wants to keep as her own but she has to convince her grandfather to let her keep it. Little by little the dog becomes their own, from feeding the dog one bone to buying a collar and dog food to finally naming the dog Pancho and accepting him as their own. The book integrates Spanish words into the text which are defined for the reader in the front of the book. This early chapter book is realistic fiction.

In this story, which includes a few Spanish words, Marisol and her grandfather come to an agreement on having a dog for a pet.

This little girl is looking for a pet and falls in love with a small dog , but the father would not allow for a pet. the Grandfather discourages her from getting a dog.