Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Introducing Pug Man, a wrinkled sack of grump…when things aren't going his way.Meschenmoser draws Pug Man as a thicket of spidery, gray lines. Readers meet him while he is still under the bedcovers, and he reeks of grump. Finally: there's his face, which is a little squinty for a pug. It doesn't matter. This dog has character. He has slept until noon. Grump. He does his business. (He looks like Whistler's mother relieving herself.) Grump. There is no milk, cereal, nor coffee. Grump, grump, grump. The morning paper has been left out in the rain. "It was a bad day for Pug Man." But wait. "Suddenly a fairy appeared." A pink and gold fairy that looks as if she has been drawn by a kindergartner. She rains goodies down on Pug Man: raspberry drops, cake, the friendship of a kitten or a piglet. "Castle, car, swimming pool, / You've got three wishes-that's the rule." (The fairy speaks in couplets. Pug Man doesn't speak. He projects.) Pug Man takes the offer. He wishes for breakfast. He wishes for a dry newspaper. He wishes the fairy would turn into a silent piglet. Yes, Pug Man is a bit rough on the fairy, but they are his wishes, wishes that erase the granite grimace from his face. He even grins. Wonderfully grouchy, with a touch of wickedness and a soupçon of warmth and color. (Picture book. 4-10)

ALA Booklist (Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

The aptly named Pug Man, who stands on two legs but has a pug's tubby body and comically wrinkled features, is just having one of those mornings: not only is it nearly noon by the time he crawls out of bed, but there's no milk in the fridge, no cereal, no coffee, and thanks to the downpour outside, the newspaper's a soggy mess. The day brightens considerably, though, as do the grayscale illustrations and Pug Man's ferocious scowl, when an effervescent blonde fairy pops into view with an irresistible offer: "You've got three wishes at's the rule." Knee-slapping silent comedy follows, as in a set of wordless reveals Pug Man wishes for what he wanted all along: breakfast (with coffee) and a dry paper. Surprisingly, for his final wish, he has the fairy transform herself into a less-hyper companion ("And so Pug Man and Princess Piglet lived happily ever after"). Younger readers may giggle; older ones will not only laugh at the characters but appreciate the wisdom of Pug Man's choices.

Horn Book (Tue Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2017)

One rainy morning, dog Pug Man wakes up in a funk: "Wet newspaper, no breakfast, and no coffee." An irritatingly perky fairy appears, offering the customary three wishes. Happily, this rule-fracturing book dispenses with custom--there's nothing cute about Pug Man, who is sitting on the toilet in one of Meschenmoser's deliberate, sketchlike illustrations--and his third wish is a doozy.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

Introducing Pug Man, a wrinkled sack of grump…when things aren't going his way.Meschenmoser draws Pug Man as a thicket of spidery, gray lines. Readers meet him while he is still under the bedcovers, and he reeks of grump. Finally: there's his face, which is a little squinty for a pug. It doesn't matter. This dog has character. He has slept until noon. Grump. He does his business. (He looks like Whistler's mother relieving herself.) Grump. There is no milk, cereal, nor coffee. Grump, grump, grump. The morning paper has been left out in the rain. "It was a bad day for Pug Man." But wait. "Suddenly a fairy appeared." A pink and gold fairy that looks as if she has been drawn by a kindergartner. She rains goodies down on Pug Man: raspberry drops, cake, the friendship of a kitten or a piglet. "Castle, car, swimming pool, / You've got three wishes-that's the rule." (The fairy speaks in couplets. Pug Man doesn't speak. He projects.) Pug Man takes the offer. He wishes for breakfast. He wishes for a dry newspaper. He wishes the fairy would turn into a silent piglet. Yes, Pug Man is a bit rough on the fairy, but they are his wishes, wishes that erase the granite grimace from his face. He even grins. Wonderfully grouchy, with a touch of wickedness and a soupçon of warmth and color. (Picture book. 4-10)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this misanthropic gem of a story, Pug Man, a bipedal pug dog, wears an expression of perpetual, pained resignation and walks like someone moving through wet concrete. When he awakens under his blanket-the initial pages show him tossing and turning-he discovers that it-s almost noon and mulls returning to bed for the rest of the day. After trailing miserably in his blanket to the bathroom, he sits on the toilet, an image that Meschenmoser (Gordon and Tapir) draws with splendid restraint rather than going for easy laughs. In the kitchen, Pug Man discovers that there-s no coffee or cereal, it-s pouring, and his newspaper is sodden. But wait! A wish-granting fairy appears! She-s a pink, doll-like bundle of enthusiastic joy, and the full-color fantasy world she conjures into existence (complete with some hilariously dopey animals) only throws Pug Man-s scowl into sharper relief. -Castle, car, swimming pool,/ You-ve got three wishes-that-s the rule,- she sings. Does Pug Man wish for a castle, car, or pool? No. His modest wishes, especially the unexpected and curmudgeonly third one, will delight readers. Rarely has abject misery been so fun. Ages 4-8. (Nov.)

School Library Journal (Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

K-Gr 2 Pug Man, who's normally grumpy, is even more grumpy when nothing in his morning routine seems to be going right. Luckily a magical fairy approaches Pug Man, offering him three wishes. Pug Man is clearly perturbed by the fairy's sunny disposition but finally agrees to three wishes; what he ends up doing with these wishes is completely unexpected and will have children laughing in the aisles. Although he doesn't necessarily learn a lesson, which might leave some kids scratching their heads, Pug Man does seem happier by the conclusion of this odd tale, creating an abrupt but hilarious ending. Meschenmoser's artwork is often drab and sketch-heavy, clearly matching Pug Man's dismal mood. His constant scowl is hilariously countered by the overly bright colors and different artistic style of the fairy, once she appears. VERDICT Perfect for kids who love dark humor and don't want a traditional "happily ever after" kind of story. Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI