Dingo Toad Helps a Friend


Children - Picture Book
26 Pages
Reviewed on 08/24/2024
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

Unfortunately, bullies are everywhere and everyone needs a champion from time to time. When Dingo Toad is walking home from school, he notices his friend, Penny, being bullied. This makes him cross. He confronts the bullies and makes them apologize. In Lamar Golden and Liana Golden’s Dingo Toad Helps a Friend, Dingo Toad shows his courageous spirit and how he wants others to be polite and caring. The story takes place on a far-distant planet, but the message is the same: stand up for your friends and be caring and polite to others.

Lamar Golden and Liana Golden’s picture book, Dingo Toad Helps a Friend, is a heartwarming tale about friendship and having the courage to stand up for what’s right. The story is told in simple language to help young readers follow along and improve their reading skills. The illustrations are bright, bold, and colorful and add another dimension to the story – absolutely stunning! Young readers will be cheering on Dingo Toad as he confronts the bullies and makes things right for his friend. In return, she shows her appreciation by sharing a treat. It’s always important to thank someone for helping out. In the face of adversity, Dingo Toad is a shining example of kindness, courage, and compassion. We all have the power to make a positive difference in this world. This is a beautiful book that will inspire young readers to follow Dingo Toad’s example. As a must-read for youngsters, this book will open up topics of discussion between young people and their caregivers and teachers.

Pikasho Deka

Hop on for a tale of friendship and adventure with Dingo Toad Helps A Friend by Lamar Golden and Liana Golden. The largest planet in the universe, Venesha, has an abundance of diverse flora and fauna. Dingo Toad lives on this planet in the southern swamp region. On a particularly hot and humid day, Dingo was on his way home from school when he saw the bullies Sangu and Piman harassing Penny. Wasting no time, Dingo confronts Sangu and Piman and asks them to apologize to Penny for being mean and hurtful. Dingo walks with Penny to her home, and in a gesture of goodwill, Penny calls him brave and offers him a cookie. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The two kids go their own ways, but their friendship remains strong forever.

Friends help each other out in times of need. This message is wonderfully woven into this riveting tale of friendship and adventure. Dingo Toad Helps A Friend is full of heart and charm. With two adorable kids as the main characters, authors Lamar and Liana Golden tell a fascinating story that teaches a valuable lesson about stepping up to do the right thing. The friendship between Dingo and Penny feels genuine and warms your heart. Illustrator Tom McGrath has done a fantastic job with the artwork. The facial expressions of the characters say a lot without words. I especially enjoyed the depictions of Sangu and Piman. Children will have a blast with this book. If you're looking for a light-hearted, illustrated adventure book, grab a copy!

Foluso Falaye

Dingo Toad Helps a Friend by Lamar Golden and Liana Golden is a fantastic picture book about dealing with bullying. The story is set on a planet called Venesha, which is referred to as the largest planet in the universe. The planet is filled with sparking oceans, lush forests, golden plains, and other magnificent elements. Dingo Toad chooses to face two bullies and make them stop being mean to Penny, whom he saw on his way home from school. Will Dingo Toad succeed in his heroic act and get the mean creatures to stop chasing Penny? Dingo Toad Helps a Friend is illustrated by Tom McGrath, revealing the intricacies of an alien world with strange yet fascinating creatures and elements. Through its brilliant pictures and story, children are taught the importance of being there for a friend in need and choosing empathy over unkind acts. 

Dingo Toad is portrayed as a brave protagonist with some exemplary traits. His decision to help a distressed friend shows he's a caring and empathetic protagonist. The book contains an interesting range of themes, including aliens, dreams, gifts, cooking, praying, sweet treats, the zoo, etc. The format allows readers to enjoy viewing the vibrant, colorful pictures since most pages contain only a few lines of text. Prepare to see unique creatures, like a lion with strange ears and a villain with three eyes. Children in their early reading phase will be captivated by the adorable illustrations, as well as the likable characters. Apart from its wise lessons, Dingo Toad Helps a Friend by Lamar and Liana Golden, with its magical elements, serves as an opportunity to enrich your child's creativity and get them to fall in love with the endless possibilities of books.

Philip Van Heusen

Dingo Toad Helps a Friend by Lamar Golden and Liana Golden is a cute children’s picture book that tackles a big subject. Dingo lives on Venesha, the largest planet found far, far away in outer space. One day, as he walks home, he sees his friend Penny running because she is being chased. He realizes that the school’s two bullies are chasing her. Dingo jumps into action and tells the bullies to stop. They do. Then, Penny and Dingo walk home. They share a cookie on the way home and enjoy each other’s company. Penny tells Dingo that he is brave. That night, all is calm and peaceful. As a parent, speak with your children about how to handle bullies. I recommend this book as a gateway to discussing bullying and what to do about it.

One of the most urgent topics today is bullying and how to stop it. Lamar Golden and Liana Golden wrote Dingo Toad Helps a Friend to give children some steps to prevent others from bullying. This book shares a simple story that emphasizes how no one deserves to be bullied and what they should do if someone is bullying them. It is wise to talk to a parent, teacher, or other responsible adult and share with them what is happening. Standing up to a bully often stops them; however, you must always consider safety. Help your children understand when and when not to stand up to a bully by themselves. Often, it is wise to slip away and tell an adult. I recommend you use this book to explore why some people need to bully.

Bruce Arrington

Dingo Toad Helps a Friend, by Lamar Golden and Liana Golden, is a picture book for young children. Dingo and Penny live on a beautiful, fantasy-style faraway planet, and one day Dingo sees his friend being chased by some mean children. Dingo decides to jump in and help Penny by yelling at the bullies and ordering them to stop, which they do. After the kids apologize, Dingo walks Penny to her home, as best friends do. Most of the story is described in a few words, so very young children can understand what is going on. The two main themes are bullying and friendship. This story shows how bullying behaviors can begin at very young ages, but so can standing up for others. The friendship theme continues for Dingo and Penny as they sleep. They dream of sharing treats and spending time together.

The artwork by Tom McGrath is bright, colorful, and engaging, and I imagine young readers will want to explore the pages time and again. In this fantasy world, we see three-eyed rubber duckies, fried flies’ chips, beetle sandwiches, and beetle-filled cookies that help the world-building. Children will enjoy picking out things they see as different in this world, though there are routines such as bedtime story reading, brushing teeth, and saying prayers. It gives a semblance of normalcy while expanding into a world unlike our own. Dingo Toad Helps a Friend, by Lamar Golden and Liana Golden, helps to promote positive examples of friendship in ways that are colorful, engaging, and fun. Highly recommended.