Book Review: JoJo the Dog-Sitter Robot

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A lovable dog gets a lovable assistant in this charming story for your little dog-fanatic.

Wait until your little dog lover gets a hold of Doddy, a big-hearted, sock-burying, easily bored Miniature Australian Shepherd who is all smiles all the time. 

Doddy’s human parents, Joseph and Josephine, are busy people, regularly volunteering in their community and spending their days at the Natural History Museum. Instead of buying unlimited socks for the lonely Doddy to bury, Joseph and Josephine turn to the Dog-sitter 3000 app to get an AI-robot assistant to watch Doddy while they’re gone. 

But can this robot dog-sitter keep up with Doddy’s quick feet and rambunctious energy? And are we totally sure that stuffed bunny lying around isn’t going to be a danger to Doddy?

JoJo the Dog-Sitter Robot is a lighthearted kids’ book about the myriad ways the future can help all of us—even our furry friends. In addition to enjoying a story about Doddy and his infectious energy, little readers are given details on what information robots can process and what they can use to contribute to our society. JoJo is capable of talking, recording, giving treats to Doddy, uploading info to Joseph and Josephine on the app, and even dreaming. 

The book also includes some dog-owning safety tips through JoJo, like always keeping an eye on them and researching what you need to know to take care of a dog. My littlest one is obsessed with dogs right now, and while she might be a little too tiny to process all of this information, she kept asking to read more about this lovable, smiley dog.

The images appear to be AI-generated, which makes sense and fits the AI-focused storyline. While it’s interesting to read about the robot information as an adult, some pages are longer reads which might require some skipping for your littlest readers. 

I’m not totally sure how to feel about the dreaming and bunny storyline that sneaks its way into the book about halfway through. For a scientific story, it seems at odds with the point of informing little readers of AI capabilities, even if it does send JoJo on a fast-paced adventure to chase down Doddy and the runaway bunny.

JoJo the Dog-Sitter Robot is a fun story about a memorable, harmlessly mischievous dog and how to care for him. If your little one is interested in humans’ favorite furry companions, they’re going to love meeting Doddy.

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