Close Modal
0 0
Download high-resolution image Look inside

Barker's Doghouse 1: Fetch!

Part of Barker's Doghouse

Author Maria Bea Alfano
Illustrated by Laura Catalán
Look inside
Hardcover
$16.99 US
Candlewick | Pixel+Ink
5.77"W x 8.52"H x 0.63"D   | 10 oz | 46 per carton
On sale Jun 24, 2025 | 160 Pages | 9781645952718
Age 7-10 years
Add to cart Add to list Exam Copies

See Additional Formats
The first book in a charming and funny early middle grade series about a boy finding his way in a new place with the help of some talking dogs. A little bit New Kid, a little bit Secret Life of Pets.

Ten-year-old Gio Barker is down in the dumps. His mom has uprooted him to a new school and a new town, all so she can start her own business. Gio used to see friends after school, but now he’s stuck hanging around his mom’s new doggy day care.  Then one day he mistakes a dog biscuit for a human cookie, and suddenly he can talk to the dogs!

The day care dogs become the friends Gio desperately needs. They tell him some of the great secrets of dog life, and he takes them for wild romps in the park. But when the dogs realize that Gio is struggling, they take it upon themselves to teach him everything they know. Sure, they’re lessons from dog school, but some of these skills are useful in any context. Take Fetch, for instance. It’s a game of give and take – perfect skills to practice if Gio wants to make the soccer team or find a human friend!
Maria Bea Alfano is a freelance writer, artist, and sometimes educator. She has written how-to-draw books for major licensed brands such as Pokémon, Dragonball Z, and Trollz. She has taught art and soccer to preschoolers in NYC, English to middle-schoolers in Spain, reading to first-graders via an online tutoring platform, and writing workshops to adults via SCBWI. When she’s not working to inspire curiosity in kids, she can be found in the pottery studio and on the soccer field. She lives in New York City with her doggie BFF who loves to hike, train in agility, and befriend strangers. This is Maria’s first fiction series.
Maria Bea Alfano View titles by Maria Bea Alfano
Laura Catalán View titles by Laura Catalán
Available for sale exclusive:
•     Afghanistan
•     Aland Islands
•     Albania
•     Algeria
•     Andorra
•     Angola
•     Anguilla
•     Antarctica
•     Antigua/Barbuda
•     Argentina
•     Armenia
•     Aruba
•     Australia
•     Austria
•     Azerbaijan
•     Bahamas
•     Bahrain
•     Bangladesh
•     Barbados
•     Belarus
•     Belgium
•     Belize
•     Benin
•     Bermuda
•     Bhutan
•     Bolivia
•     Bonaire, Saba
•     Bosnia Herzeg.
•     Botswana
•     Bouvet Island
•     Brazil
•     Brit.Ind.Oc.Ter
•     Brit.Virgin Is.
•     Brunei
•     Bulgaria
•     Burkina Faso
•     Burundi
•     Cambodia
•     Cameroon
•     Canada
•     Cape Verde
•     Cayman Islands
•     Centr.Afr.Rep.
•     Chad
•     Chile
•     China
•     Christmas Islnd
•     Cocos Islands
•     Colombia
•     Comoro Is.
•     Congo
•     Cook Islands
•     Costa Rica
•     Croatia
•     Cuba
•     Curacao
•     Cyprus
•     Czech Republic
•     Dem. Rep. Congo
•     Denmark
•     Djibouti
•     Dominica
•     Dominican Rep.
•     Ecuador
•     Egypt
•     El Salvador
•     Equatorial Gui.
•     Eritrea
•     Estonia
•     Ethiopia
•     Falkland Islnds
•     Faroe Islands
•     Fiji
•     Finland
•     France
•     Fren.Polynesia
•     French Guinea
•     Gabon
•     Gambia
•     Georgia
•     Germany
•     Ghana
•     Gibraltar
•     Greece
•     Greenland
•     Grenada
•     Guadeloupe
•     Guam
•     Guatemala
•     Guernsey
•     Guinea Republic
•     Guinea-Bissau
•     Guyana
•     Haiti
•     Heard/McDon.Isl
•     Honduras
•     Hong Kong
•     Hungary
•     Iceland
•     India
•     Indonesia
•     Iran
•     Iraq
•     Ireland
•     Isle of Man
•     Israel
•     Italy
•     Ivory Coast
•     Jamaica
•     Japan
•     Jersey
•     Jordan
•     Kazakhstan
•     Kenya
•     Kiribati
•     Kuwait
•     Kyrgyzstan
•     Laos
•     Latvia
•     Lebanon
•     Lesotho
•     Liberia
•     Libya
•     Liechtenstein
•     Lithuania
•     Luxembourg
•     Macau
•     Macedonia
•     Madagascar
•     Malawi
•     Malaysia
•     Maldives
•     Mali
•     Malta
•     Marshall island
•     Martinique
•     Mauritania
•     Mauritius
•     Mayotte
•     Mexico
•     Micronesia
•     Minor Outl.Ins.
•     Moldavia
•     Monaco
•     Mongolia
•     Montenegro
•     Montserrat
•     Morocco
•     Mozambique
•     Myanmar
•     Namibia
•     Nauru
•     Nepal
•     Netherlands
•     New Caledonia
•     New Zealand
•     Nicaragua
•     Niger
•     Nigeria
•     Niue
•     Norfolk Island
•     North Korea
•     North Mariana
•     Norway
•     Oman
•     Pakistan
•     Palau
•     Palestinian Ter
•     Panama
•     PapuaNewGuinea
•     Paraguay
•     Peru
•     Philippines
•     Pitcairn Islnds
•     Poland
•     Portugal
•     Puerto Rico
•     Qatar
•     Reunion Island
•     Romania
•     Russian Fed.
•     Rwanda
•     S. Sandwich Ins
•     Saint Martin
•     Samoa,American
•     San Marino
•     SaoTome Princip
•     Saudi Arabia
•     Senegal
•     Serbia
•     Seychelles
•     Sierra Leone
•     Singapore
•     Sint Maarten
•     Slovakia
•     Slovenia
•     Solomon Islands
•     Somalia
•     South Africa
•     South Korea
•     South Sudan
•     Spain
•     Sri Lanka
•     St Barthelemy
•     St. Helena
•     St. Lucia
•     St. Vincent
•     St.Chr.,Nevis
•     St.Pier,Miquel.
•     Sth Terr. Franc
•     Sudan
•     Suriname
•     Svalbard
•     Swaziland
•     Sweden
•     Switzerland
•     Syria
•     Tadschikistan
•     Taiwan
•     Tanzania
•     Thailand
•     Timor-Leste
•     Togo
•     Tokelau Islands
•     Tonga
•     Trinidad,Tobago
•     Tunisia
•     Turkey
•     Turkmenistan
•     Turks&Caicos Is
•     Tuvalu
•     US Virgin Is.
•     USA
•     Uganda
•     Ukraine
•     Unit.Arab Emir.
•     United Kingdom
•     Uruguay
•     Uzbekistan
•     Vanuatu
•     Vatican City
•     Venezuela
•     Vietnam
•     Wallis,Futuna
•     West Saharan
•     Western Samoa
•     Yemen
•     Zambia
•     Zimbabwe
Catalán stocks her occasional illustrations with lively pooches of diverse breeds and mixes. Along with resolutely losing no opportunity for puns, Alfano further enriches the flavor of the dialogue with occasional Spanish words and expressions. A fetching series kickoff with a waggish premise.
—Booklist

About

The first book in a charming and funny early middle grade series about a boy finding his way in a new place with the help of some talking dogs. A little bit New Kid, a little bit Secret Life of Pets.

Ten-year-old Gio Barker is down in the dumps. His mom has uprooted him to a new school and a new town, all so she can start her own business. Gio used to see friends after school, but now he’s stuck hanging around his mom’s new doggy day care.  Then one day he mistakes a dog biscuit for a human cookie, and suddenly he can talk to the dogs!

The day care dogs become the friends Gio desperately needs. They tell him some of the great secrets of dog life, and he takes them for wild romps in the park. But when the dogs realize that Gio is struggling, they take it upon themselves to teach him everything they know. Sure, they’re lessons from dog school, but some of these skills are useful in any context. Take Fetch, for instance. It’s a game of give and take – perfect skills to practice if Gio wants to make the soccer team or find a human friend!

Creators

Maria Bea Alfano is a freelance writer, artist, and sometimes educator. She has written how-to-draw books for major licensed brands such as Pokémon, Dragonball Z, and Trollz. She has taught art and soccer to preschoolers in NYC, English to middle-schoolers in Spain, reading to first-graders via an online tutoring platform, and writing workshops to adults via SCBWI. When she’s not working to inspire curiosity in kids, she can be found in the pottery studio and on the soccer field. She lives in New York City with her doggie BFF who loves to hike, train in agility, and befriend strangers. This is Maria’s first fiction series.
Maria Bea Alfano View titles by Maria Bea Alfano
Laura Catalán View titles by Laura Catalán

Praise

Catalán stocks her occasional illustrations with lively pooches of diverse breeds and mixes. Along with resolutely losing no opportunity for puns, Alfano further enriches the flavor of the dialogue with occasional Spanish words and expressions. A fetching series kickoff with a waggish premise.
—Booklist

Additional formats

Other books in this series

Other Books by this Author

Penguin Random House Comics Retail

© 2025 Penguin Random House

Back to Top
 Penguin Random House Comics Retail
0
    • 0
    Pull List (0)