The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule

By Kashmira Sheth
Illustrated by Carl Pearce

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Ishan has way more imagination than his third-grade body can handle. Like every red-blooded American boy, he wants a dog. But his mother grew up to fear dogs. In her childhood home, dogs ran in packs and were dangerous. Ishan’s attempts to persuade his mother through his actions go beyond bad results to the horrible.

His actions all make sense in his head but never quite turn out in ways that make his parents happy. He tries to make breakfast and ends up setting off the smoke alarm. At a community party, he adds to the decorations by ruining some of the desserts. He posts dog pictures at home, destroys the wall paint, and tries to cover it with various painted flowers. Ishan finally gets it right when he helps an elderly neighbor in crisis.

The second grade readers learn from a third grader in a hilarious and creative way what not to do. They also learn a great deal about the Indian-American culture and many terms from the Hindi language. The sense of community conveyed by the party, by the town meeting, and by interaction with neighbors, showing kids positive ways to channel their energy.

Despite Ishan’s tendency to go beyond reasonable action, he is always mindful of what the rules are and careful to do things like replacing the flour container and put lids on the paint cans. Second-graders will keep reading to discover whether Ishan and his older brother, Sunil, get their dog, thus practicing and improving reading skills. The illustrator does a great job of choosing lively subject matter and also of presenting the look of Indian-Americans.

  • Title: The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule
  • Author:  Kashmira Sheth
  • Illustrator:  Carl Pearce
  • Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
  • Reviewer:  Sue Poduska
  • Hard Cover: 117 pages
  • ISBN:978-0-8075-5694-8
  • Genre: Fiction, Contemporary, Culture, Dogs

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