The Hallo-Wiener

The moral of the tale is: "Heroes stand up for what they believe in."

I don't have kids and I'm well beyond the target age group for this book. I do think sausage dogs are adorable, though, and thus received this as a Halloween present.The illustrations are cute, the story is fun, and the puns are hilarious. The sausage dog is named, of course, Oscar; scrutinizing the family mailbox reveals their last name to be Meyer. When Oscar shows up in his Halloween costume (a hot dog on a bun), the book remarks that he looked "quite frank."A few minutes of laughing and a smile on your face for six bucks? Can't beat that!

It doesn't matter how many children I read this to, it always cracks me up. I mean, when you read about a dachshund named Oscar, you know you're on a roll...hey, was that a pun? This story has lots of wordplay. It's a Halloween tale, or is that tail, about a well-loved dachshund kid whose mother dresses him up in a costume that gets him ridiculed by the other dog kids. His trick-or-treat adventures will have you howling with laughter and in the end everybody including poor Oscar likes his silly costume. The cartoon-like illustrations are clever and subtle so make sure you and your youngsters take time to enjoy them and please check out the classroom scene...it's a scream. This book is so much fun with its bright colors and zany text you just can't help but love it.

Oscar is a young dog with a problem. Being a "wiener-dog," he looks different from all of the other dogs in obedience school, and consequently the others like to make fun of him. His mother doesn't help matters when she calls him her "little Vienna sausage." And worse, when Halloween rolls around she expresses complete lack of understanding when she buys him his ultimate nightmare of a costume. However, this short-legged dog has a big heart, and when the chips are down the other dogs get to learn just what Oscar is made of!This book is absolutely hilarious! The story is funny and educational. The text was not challenging for my eight-year-old son, but he is on the extreme range of the recommended level. However, he did love the story, and read it through three times in the first sitting! So, we both highly recommend this book.Please be sure to watch the cats in this dog book, they come close to stealing the show!

This book, about a "wiener dog" who gets no respect from his peers, is a real scream. It shares a terrific message--you can do great things even if you are picked on by all the other kids. Although aimed at children, there is a lot of subtle humor. For example, the "wiener" dog's name is Oscar, his mailbox says "Myers", and the teacher (at Obedience School) is reading "Dogs Who Hate Fleas and the Fleas Who Love Them." Highly recommended for all elementary age kids, but it is understandable by pre-Ks as well (our 4 year old loves it).

This is the most entertaining children's book I've read in a long time. The story of Oscar (the weiner dog)is sweet and appealing. The other dogs make fun of him for being "half a dog tall and one-and-a-half dogs long." To Oscar's dismay, his mother makes a giant hot dog bun (complete with mustard) for his Halloween costume. Although he despises the nickname "weiner dog", he wears the costume anyway to keep from hurting his mother's feelings. There are several appealing plays on words in the story, good illustrations, and a happy ending. My little girl loved the snickering cats as well as the hero of the story. I've read it to her at least ten times in the last three days, and I still like it.