Usually, when you hear that someone has a watchdog, you think they have a dog that’s big, mean, scary, and keeps burglars out. Well, this is not the case with Bertie. You see, he’s called a watchdog because he’s the size of a watch. But don’t let that fool you into thinking he can’t protect his house from burglars. It takes more than size to be a good protector – it takes brains, and Bertie has lots of those.
Take, for instance, the night when a big, mean, awful burglar opened the window and came in. He saw Bertie sitting there in his oversized doggie bed and started to laugh, because he’d never seen such a small dog before. He told Bertie that he wasn’t even the tiniest bit scared. Bertie threatened to bite his ankle, and then did, but the burglar hardly felt it. Thus begins a contest between Bertie and the robber – who can bite harder? Who can run faster? And, who can bark louder? In every case, the robber wins, and he has no problem rubbing it in. (I guess it’s true what they say – burglars really are poor losers.) He has so much fun besting Bertie at the barking game that his over-the-top-loud barks attract the attention of the police, who come running to see what all the commotion is. Much to his surprise, the burglar gets himself arrested. Bertie wins that round as the robber is dragged off to jail.
So if your child is being teased because they’re small, or if you’re just in the mood for a cute story, grab “Bertie was a Watchdog” and have some fun. The illustrations are great, too – Bertie is quite the adorable little dog with some great facial expressions, and the burglar is just scary enough to be convincing without being too frightening for your children.
(This book was published by Candlewick Press in 2002 and was illustrated by Arthur Robbins.)
Related Blogs: