Mooch and Me

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Nine-year-old Carl loves his German Shepherd dog, Mooch. In the novel
Mooch meets a skunk, and Carl tells Mooch how it feels to be called a
wimp by school friends. His dog understands why Carl doesn’t like
fighting and that he is afraid of burglars. Mooch, however, is getting
old and Carl worries that he won’t have his devoted friend much
longer.

Mooch and Me, a first novel, probably suffers somewhat in its
translation from the French original, Ne touchez pas а ma babouche. It
is short, and its large print will appeal to children beginning to read
chapter books. Though it won the prize for best children’s book of the
year in Quebec, it reads awkwardly and does not involve the reader
emotionally in the young boy’s love for his dog. Derome’s
illustrations are dark and sketchy, neither exceptional nor particularly
appealing to Grade 3 students.