Meet Chip, a dog who knows how to establish credibility immediately, or lose his audience. He claims he’s smart and experienced. He knows important dog things. And he’s not impressed with where cats, like Mittens, do their business.
Using a fine example of the distributive property, Chip shows off his math prowess.
And just when we’re lured into thinking he’s going to give us another stellar example of his intelligence, he pokes fun at his own kind. Believe it or not, these are all dogs. “Even that one.” Cue the giggles.
Chip proceeds to regale readers with a list of Dos and Don’ts, all pulled from his “vast knowledge,” mostly having to with what to eat or not eat, but the most important rule is this:
DON’T EAT BEES.
Of course, even with all his doggy smarts, Chip must have one fatal flaw. One very childlike flaw. Poor Chip. Packed with lots of kid-relatable giggle moments, including a running joke based on the rivalry between Chip and Mittens, this book is sure to be a winner for classroom read aloud, or for reading (not so quietly) at home.
Who do you think will win in the battle of the wits? Chip or Mittens? Only those who make it to the last page will know the answer. Kudos to Dev Petty and her impeccable timing, and to Mike Boldt for creating one lovable, huggable mutt and other characters who act as his foils.
Activities:
Pair this book with another fine, funny canine instructional tale: Ragweed’s Farm Dog Handbook by Anne Vittur Kennedy.
Make an origami dog and cat or bee.
Try Chip’s math. How can you distribute 30 bones evenly if Chip digs 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, or 15 holes? For more complicated math involving fractions, how many bones can be distributed evenly if Chip digs 4 holes?
Title: Don’t Eat Bees (Life Lessons from Chip the Dog)
Author: Dev Petty
Illustrator: Mike Boldt
Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2022
Ages: Pre-K through elementary school
Themes: rules, dogs, cats, bees
For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.
Jilanne Hoffmann 
I just love how he points to the pug as he says, “Even that one.”
Yup. Pugs bewilder me too, Chip.
And what makes the joke so perfect is its timing and redirection. We’re set up to expect a different kind of pearl of doggy wisdom. And the illustration takes it over the top with composition. The cut-off head of the giant jowly, drooling dog, the long thing one, the scrambled looking pug and that disembodied pointing paw.
This sounds hilarious! Can’t be too clever if he ate a bee — fun life experiences of a dog.
Yes, Chip might not be as cerebral as he thinks, LOL. Mittens, OTOH, is diabolically cerebral, as cats tend to be.
This sounds like a riot! I am excited to see this one, so much nuiance going on in the book. It’s on my TBR list. Love your activities, especially the math idea. Thanks so much for featuring it.
I think you’ll love it, Maria!
This sounds hilarious! Need to find it!
Get thee to a library or bookstore immediately! Laughter awaits!
I had seen the title of this book without any context and my mind went to the various let’s eat crickets books and Mary Bone’s bugs for breakfast. This looks great and I will be VERY DISAPPOINTED if Chip doesn’t best Mittens in the end. I’m not going to even tell you what Charlie has eaten.
Yes, Wrigley, too. We have to rein her in at the beach, or she’d eat every crustacean, dead seagull, seal carcass, etc. And when she’s on leash, she’s constantly diving for tidbits that people drop, including chicken bones in the park. You’d think we never fed her! Let me know what you think about the ending, LOL.
Mittens will win. Cats are vastly superior to dogs in every way.
(Oops, sorry, Tommy seems to have got access to my computer again…)
Proves just how wily they are! 😉
This looks awfully cute. I will have to check it out. Thanks for the heads up.
I hope you do. It’s fun and funny. Makes for a great read aloud!