The Life of Gus

The Life of Gus: The Dog with the Big Head is a heartwarming true story in chapter book format about a Houston street dog who eventually finds happiness with a loving family.

After being abandoned by his young owner, Timmy, Gus learns to fend for himself on the streets of Houston. While searching for food with his new dog friend, Trixie, Gus’s health rapidly deteriorates, partly due to a shoelace that was tied around his neck when he was younger. After surviving many hardships, Gus is eventually rescued by kind strangers who secure the medical attention he needs and help him find a forever home.

This story is filled with heart and contains important lessons about compassion and helping the less fortunate. Children will be drawn to Gus’s upbeat personality and scenes from his happy early life.

Because the story is written in first person and readers can only see the world through Gus’s eyes, however, certain sections seem limited. For example, Gus’s world shrinks considerably after Timmy ties him up in the backyard and slowly forgets about him. As Gus obsesses over his situation (“The only thing worse than being outside in the cold is being outside in the cold and being HUNGRY TOO,” etc.), the story might lose a young reader’s interest.

Additionally, it’s often unclear what Gus understands of the human world and what he doesn’t. Certain words and phrases are used in quotes (“stop,” “cold as ice,” “adored,” “a star”), seemingly to show that they are new to Gus, but the use of quotes is inconsistent and confusing. The narrative also includes run-on sentences (“This was new to me and I did not like it at all, but I really had no choice, this was my life”) and other grammatical errors.

That said, The Life of Gus will give kids and families an opportunity to talk about responsible pet ownership. It’s a tough but important story with a happy ending.

Also available as an ebook.

-Blue Ink Review

Based on a true story, this debut chapter book tells one abandoned pooch’s story through his own eyes.

Gus wasn’t always a stray dog. When he was young, his name was Rex, and he loved his human, Timmy, very much. But things started to change for Rex when Timmy went to school and didn’t have time for the canine he once loved. After escaping the backyard to follow Timmy to a friend’s house, Rex was punished. Timmy knotted shoelaces together and tied Rex to a tree, abandoning the dog, first by ignoring him and then neglecting to feed him during the cold winter months. When his family moved, Timmy left Rex tied to the tree. Rex eventually broke free and became a street dog, desperately lonely until he met fellow stray Trixie. The two wished they could trust humans, but further cruelty—some boys fired a pellet gun at Rex—caused them to hide. Unfortunately, Rex’s health was failing; the shoelace still tied around his neck was making him sicker. He discovered it was hard to breathe and swallow. Luckily, kind strangers took him in, healed him, and made him a TV and internet star. Now named Gus, he and Trixie wait for their forever homes. In her simply worded, dog’s-eye-view narration, Roquemore-Maxwell doesn’t pull any punches when describing the brutality of humans. But the canine’s harsh reality is made bearable through his hopeful, loving worldview. His rescuers also bring light into the darkness that stray dogs face, and the author’s absorbing and moving story may inspire young readers to become motivated and tackle these problems. The images by debut illustrator Bordelon are sparsely spread throughout. They are more successful on the color cover than in the black-and-white linework, as the cartoonish style doesn’t match the seriousness of the content.

Young independent readers’ hearts will go out to the rescue dog in this engaging tale.

-Kirkus Review

Based on a true story, Sandee Roquemore-Maxwell’s heartwarming The Life of Gus is about a dog who was abandoned and rescued.

Gus didn’t always have to fight for survival. He used to be called Rex and have a house of his own with a loving boy, Timmy, to take care of him. But Timmy abandoned Rex when his family moved. After his abandonment, the dog endured loneliness, the cold, starvation, and sickness, all while sporting a shoelace collar that was too tight.

Rex’s sorry state was enough to attract the attention of passersby, prompting a concerned citizen to follow him and rescue him. At the veterinary clinic, he was given the name Gus and became somewhat of a star. The story works toward an ending in which Gus expresses hope that his personal experience will inspire people to help other strays—with adult supervision, of course.

The straightforward but bittersweet story follows Gus from his puppyhood into the present. Creative liberties help in explaining how and why the dog was abandoned, inspiring sympathy and compassion for him. His situation on the street is sad. Even his small victories are marred by the harsh reality of the situation, as when he’s starving and finds food, though it is from the garbage, and he eats too much and gets sick.

Gus narrates, covering these events and sharing his feelings about them, from the sadness he feels when his owner becomes neglectful to the joy that fills him when he finds a companion. His point of view is sympathetic and inspiring.

Peggy Bordelon’s illustrations are hand-sketched and minimalist, acting as snapshots of events in the story. They include both daydreams and difficult moments, and there’s one per chapter. Their sparing inclusion tends to underscore the book’s bleak tones, especially since the images are rough, monochromatic, and sobering. Happier memories are less often featured. Because they are few and far between, the illustrations complement, rather than distract from, the story.

The text is most often straightforward, but also includes high-level words like “hobbled” and “scrounged” to pique audience interest. More often than not, though, the book’s word choices are utilitarian. There are few descriptive passages; more focus is placed on describing what’s happening in direct terms.

Through its hopeful story about a rescue dog who found his place, The Life of Gus humanizes the plights of stray animals.

Reviewed by Ian Dailey
December 3, 2019

-Foreword Review