A Pup Called Trouble audiobook

It has a sad ending and it almost made me cry. Although it was kinda happy too.

Coyote pup is lost in New York City. A thoroughly engaging animal adventure story.

My 4th and 5th grade library patrons will enjoy this quick to read animal story. Trouble, an overly curious coyote pup, is born wild and is happy exploring his forest world. Unfortunately, his insatiable curiosity leads him to humans and an accidental car ride that dumps him in the middle of New York City. Trouble teams up with unlikely residents of Central Park and begins to forget his wild born family as he settles in with Rosebud, an opossum, a crow named Mischief and an assortment of other city born is creatures. A few close calls lead the animals to a plan to get Trouble back to his family, but a determined animal control officer with a noose may get in the way. Author Bobbie Pyron weaves plenty of wildlife fact into this book to give it a realistic feel and readers will likely chuckle at some of the animals’ antics and the fairly predictable ending will be just what they want. Solid choice for my library. I especially appreciate the extra end notes that give factual information on the animals featured in the book. (Review of digital ARC from Edelweiss Above the Treeline)

A Pup Called Trouble (Kathy Tegan Books, 2018) by Bobbie Pyron is an engaging story that 3-5th grade students or older reluctant readers will enjoy. Based on true stories of coyotes who live in New York's Central Park, the book is told mostly through the point of view of the aptly named coyote, Trouble. Pyron, who makes her home in the Utah mountains, spent four days roaming around Manhattan imaging how the city would smell, sound, and look to a lost coyote pup. Those four days became the backbone for this story. Although the child reader may not recognize herself in the story, Trouble’s desire to experience what his parents have forbidden is very child-like. Pyron sets up this identification at the beginning of the book when Trouble’s parents take him to see a tractor for the first time. Whereas his siblings fear the loud noise it makes, Trouble responds:“It sounds huge,” Trouble exclaimed. “It sounds exciting! Can we go see?” (p. 16) After he sees Makers (humans) for the first time, he bombards his mother,[Trouble] raced in circles of excitement. "Can we see more tomorrow?" (p. 21-22)"No, she snapped. "Nothing good comes from Makers."Swift shivered with fright. Pounced moved closer to his father, and Star trembled. Trouble's eyes glowed with dreamy curiosity. (p. 21-22)Inevitably, the pup’s curiosity gets him into trouble. The reader sees and feels what happens when Trouble hides inside a truck. "...a loud, low growl rumbled to life beneath Trouble's feet. It grew louder and louder, shaking the floor and the walls and the ceiling of the shelter. Then, to Trouble's horror, the Beast lurched to life."(p.30). He finds himself in a "stone forest [which] rose so high it cut the wide blue expanse to wedges and slivers of white (p. 33). His senses are accosted by strange scents, sounds, and sights--not the least of which is the Makers "looking intently at a small something [they] held in their hands." At one point he is surrounded by Makers of all sizes. "Trouble leaped to his feet, spun in circles looking for the cover of forest, trees, bushes, anything where he could hide. Nothing. Everything was hard. Solid. Unforgiving." (p. 33)Although Trouble admits that he's lost in this strange world, his curiosity drives him further and further from the truck that brought him to the city. When a crow named Mischief spies Trouble and takes an interest in him, there are great opportunities for fun and games as the two ride a subway, scare New Yorkers, and cause general mayhem. Mischief introduces him to other animals living in Central Park and Trouble falls in love with a poodle named Minette. As a result of these friendships, Trouble begins to lose his homesickness and begins to start liking his new life. His friends are alarmed and arrange for him to visit the "Place of the Once Wild." At the city zoo Trouble's eyes are opened to see what he risks losing. Ultimately, it is the fact that his friends band together to save him from the consequences of his poor decision that helps Trouble return home. The "good friends help friends stay out of trouble" moral-of-the-story is subtly and sweetly woven into a book that boys and girls will both enjoy.

An advanced copy of this middle grade novel was provided to my #BookRelays group by the author. I really enjoyed this animal adventure story. The young coyote pup, Trouble (so named because of his habit of letting his unbridled enthusiasm and curiosity get him into trouble), learns some invaluable “lessons in friendship, bravery, love, forgiveness, belonging, and home.” The awesome storytelling and wonderful themes reminded me a bit of The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford.As a young, rambunctious coyote pup, Trouble has a difficult time obeying his mother, and staying away from the Makers (humans). Curiosity leads him to climb into the back of a produce truck on a nearby farm, and soon Trouble finds himself in the heart of New York City. Now there’s disaster waiting around every corner, and all Trouble wants to do is figure out how to get back home! In order to survive and find his way back to his family, Trouble makes friends with an unlikely assortment of wild animals: a crow, an opossum, a fox, and an owl.

We're not talking dogs here. Trouble is a wild coyote who has quite a bit of curiosity which of course lands him in "trouble". On one of his exploits from his family and the area he knows as home, he finds himself in New York City and eventually, to Central Park. His is befriended by several other wild creatures who live in the park and they look out for and protect each other. Among them are a crow, an opossum, an owl and a fox, along with a real dog. He is being hunted by an animal control officer and has been sighted a few times which puts him in great danger. His friends are able to come up with a plan to get him out of the park, the city and on his way home to his family. Based on real occurrences of wild animals living in cities, young readers will thoroughly enjoy the adventures of Trouble and his friends.

I love this book and I love Trouble. I like the author's notes at the end about coyotes and opossums. It's a family story and a "can't wait to leave home" story, and a "welcome home, glad you're back, you belong here" story. I likes the author on Facebook and discovered another reader whose grown up book group read this, too. It could easily be read aloud, but my husband wasn't interested. If you cry easily, read this book. It is full of animals who help each other and share affection. If you like New York City, read this book. You too can live there. I did. It didn't seem like fiction.

This is going to be a huge hit with my animal loving students. Told from the perspective of a coyote who is curious and ends up out of her element in NYC, Trouble is desperate to get home to her family. Will her new city friends be able to help her get home or will her mischievous nature cause her to end up in the zoo or worse? A lovely story about family and love told through the eyes of misunderstood wildlife and their domestic friends.

A coyote named Trouble is too curious for his own good. He decides to stow away in a truck for an adventure and finds himself in a different world, more dangerous then he could ever imagine. With the help of animal friends they devise a plan to get him back home. If you are an animal lover you will find this story exciting.

Warm growing up story about a curious coyote that wanders from home and ends up in NYC Central Park. Highlights the love of both family and friends. Perfect for elementary and probably middle schoolers too.

I loved this book so much! It was a really good book and so interesting. I liked how the animals that he met in the city helped him do things that he couldn't do by himself. I cried multiple times, sometimes sad, and sometimes happy.

Good read aloud to my 5 year old. Well written, liked the descriptions of common human items that are described instead of stated, since it is from the perspective of the animals (staring at squares in their hands). Fun for her to try to guess what was being described.