Guinness the Good Girl Goes to School

Rated "Must read 🏆 (five stars)" by Reedsy Discovery:

This charming, well-told story about a smart young girl and her loveable Dalmatian will have young readers asking for more!

Dogs rule and doubts drool in this delightfully captivating picture book by Matthew Gillmann. Lithe and supple, the story follows a Dalmatian dynamo, Guinness, as she joins her human for Doggie Day at school. Things go awry initially. But with a little help from some new friends, Guinness finds out that school’s not so bad after all. In fact, it may even be fun!

A Dalmatian with a heart of gold, Guinness joins her human, Dottie, for Doggie Day at Tune Town School. But Guinness may be a bit too rambunctious to fit into a classroom routine. She’s so excited, she crashes into an easel. When the teacher asks questions, Guinness knows the answers. Unfortunately, “woof” isn’t the right answer.

Exiled to the back corner of the classroom by the end of the day, our spotted pal starts wondering if maybe coming to school with Dottie wasn’t such a great idea after all. Can some new friends help Guinness change her mind?

Guinness’ day starts looking up when she meets an exchange student from Chile who’s a wrestler. Then she takes a dip in the swimming pool with Dottie’s friend Daisy. With the help of another friend named Coltrane, Guinness soon discovers that she’s a natural at football and cheerleading, too. Who knew?

Packed with wit and whimsy, Guinness is bright, upbeat, and positive. Heartwarming and heartfelt, it’s story-telling at its finest. Besides. Sharing a school day with a loveable dog named “Guinness”? Well. Who can resist that?

Lively and quick, this book will draw young readers in from page one and keep them turning pages until the very end. Because you never know what Guinness will do next! The illustrations are top-notch! For example, the illustrations of Guinness joining the water ballet class and hamming it up at the school dance are hysterical! Gentle lessons about friendship and kindness and how to have fun at school are included.

The target audience for this book is children ages three to eight years. But anyone who enjoys a well-told story about a smart young girl and her loveable Dalmatian will enjoy Guinness the Good Girl Goes to School. This one’s a winner. So I’d grab a copy now ‘fize you.

Guinness the Good Girl Goes to School is Book [2] in the G3 Book Series. I can’t wait for the next installment! You won’t want to miss this one!

Reviewed by

Kristine L.

Takeaway: Adorable adventures between a smart young girl and her Dalmatian.

In this heart-warming children's book, Dottie, on the cusp of her eighth birthday, is finally getting "her biggest wish": the puppy she's always wanted. But first she has to make straight As on her report card and save up "50 big ones" to pay for a dog license. Dottie knows right away that she wants a Dalmatian puppy, and at the pet shop, Daphne's Dal House, she makes fast friends with a pup named "Nothin' but Trouble,” though she has the good sense to rename the pup Guinness the Good Girl. As the pair bonds, Dottie trains Guinness to become a well-behaved dog that knows a few tricks (such as the biscuit roll), while Guinness teaches Dottie a thing or two as well, like the quickest way to get into a piggy bank and how to shuffle a crowd.

Set in Tune Town, a burg boasting colorful characters like Stan the Muscle Man and the President of Earl & Roth Enterprises, Guinness the Good Girl will keep young readers—and especially dog lovers—engaged, even as author Gillmann, making his debut, works in valuable lessons about the responsibilities that come along with pet ownership, naturally, but also the importance of education, saving money, and earning the things we want in life. Guinness creates a little chaos at home but eventually performs heroics around town, proving to be "the good girl" Dottie knew she would from the start.

Penny Weber’s illustrations capture the essence of a playful Dalmatian, capturing Guinness and her spots in a host of cute, comical, and exciting poses, each spirited and precise, although some of the human faces are less convincing. With educational facts about Dalmatians such as their heart shaped noses and how they are born without their spots, young readers will grow to love Guinness and look forward to future books in this projected series.