Dog Man: a tale of two kitties by Dav Pilkey

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Dog Man book 3. Scholastic, 2017. ISBN 9780545935210
(Age: 7+) Recommended.  Humour, Graphic novel, Crime. The third in this series of graphic novels about Dog Man solving crimes is sure to be scooped up by those who love Pilkey and his work (Captain Underpants), those who look out for graphic novels and those who just love to laugh out loud.
The first in the series, simply called Dog Man shows the beginnings of this hybrid creature, when Greg the police dog and his human companion are injured and must undergo surgery. But coming out of the anesthetic reveals Dog Man, the body of a human and the head of Greg the dog. With the smelling ability of the dog, Dog Man is able to sniff out crimes and solve them.
In this tale, Dog Man is on the trail of the lost kitten, Li'l Petey, and this is told in graphic format over ten easy chapters alluding to some of Charles Dickens work. At the end of the story several different ending are given for those who want to keep reading, and Pilkey follows this with instructions on how to draw cartoon animals.
Dog Man is still learning a few tricks of the trade and causes the Chief of Police no end of grief as he chews up the furniture. So Dog Man is on slippery ground and must prove his worth. Littered with outrageous puns on anything doggie and catty, and drawing on Dickens' A Tale to Two Cities, the story will case hilarity amongst the target audience, and have older readers who know A Tale of Two Cities, marvelling at the parallels.
Fran Knight

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