Doggie Lit

Dog Breath by Dav Pilkey is one of my favorite children’s books about dogs. It’s about Hally Tosis, who is a very beloved family dog with a big problem – BAD BREATH. Her breath smells so bad that even skunks avoid her. Her loving family tries everything they can to get rid of her bad breath. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Tosis are at their wit’s end and plan to give Hally away. The plot thickens (but I won’t reveal the details) and this silly story ends very happily.

Dav Pilkey writes:

When I was growing up, I had a dog named “Halle” who had the worst breath in the world! My dad used to call her “Halle Tosis”, but I never understood his joke until I was much older. You see, “Halle Tosis” sounds a lot like the word “halitosis” which is a medical term for bad breath. So I borrowed my dad’s corny joke, added a few corny jokes of my own, and came up with a story about a very good dog with very bad breath!

Dog Breath is Pilkey’s second published book. He did all of the illustrations and he used his own dog as the inspiration for Hally Tosis. He is probably best known for his Captain Underpants’ series. I’ve been regularly reading Pilkey’s books since my sons were young. Dog Breath was always my favorite because… well… my name is Hallie and when you have such an unusual name, you are always happy to see it used anywhere. I also like how Pilkey plays with words. I appreciate his cleverness. My sons really like that he takes kind of gross things and makes them funny. Finally, and maybe most importantly, any parent is excited when their kids decide that reading is fun and a good thing to do. Pilkey’s books are like reading candy for kids.