ALA Booklist

Oscar the dachshund is a dog with a problem: it's hard to win doggy respect when your mother calls you my little Vienna Sausage. Mom's idea of a Halloween costume is a bun with mustard, but Oscar makes the most of the outfit, defeating a monstrous pair of masquerading cats to get his nickname changed from Wiener Dog to Hero Sandwich. Pilkey's wacky humor comes out in both story and pictures--a recalcitrant pupil at school writes on the chalkboard, I will not sniff my neighbor. Set against a series of vivid, clearly painted skies, the pictures promise a world in which menace is only artificial and underdogs can become wonderdogs. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1995)

Horn Book

A dachshund, Oscar, is constantly ridiculed by the other, bigger dogs in his neighborhood, and it doesn't help that his mother calls him 'my little Vienna sausage.' Oscar, however, becomes a hero one Halloween night, due to his size and spunk. Pilkey's bold, colorful illustrations add life to his simple tale of courage and friendship.

Kirkus Reviews

Oscar (last name: Myers) is a sweet, sensitive dachshund who is troubled by his unique appearance (``half-a-dog tall and one- and-a-half dogs long''). He looks like a hot dog and his friends never let him forget it, until Oscar's unusual physique saves the day. Raising this story above clichC and bringing it poignancy is Oscar's goodness, which shines almost perpetually. When his mother makes a Halloween costume in the shape of a frankfurter, he bravely wears it even though he knows it means ridicule. He doesn't give up on his friends; in fact, this nice guy finishes first. In paintings steeped in autumn colors, puns abound and so do loony visual jokes, but the telling is simple, comical, and fast. Pilkey (Kat Kong, 1993, etc.) demonstrates his kinship to both Rosemary Wells and James Marshall with a book that has moments of high comedy, lowbrow humor, and good old-fashioned heroics. (Picture book. 4-7)"

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

Costumed by his mother as a hot dog with bun, Oscar the dachshund goes from hangdog to top dog in what PW's starred review called a """"pun-o-rama."""" Ages 4-7. (Sept.)

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Oscar is a dachshund who is ...half-a-dog tall and one-and-a-half dogs long.'' All the other neighborhood dogs-a motley crew of meanies-make fun of him. His mother doesn't help matters any, showering him publicly with endearments that refer invariably to sausage. What Oscar wants more than anything is to be something scary for Halloween, but when he rushes home from obedience school his mother surprises him with a costume that's exactly the opposite of what he had in mind-...a giant hot-dog bun, complete with mustard.'' He gives his mom a kiss, but the look on his face is pure pain. Poor Oscar! Slowed down by his silly costume, he trails behind his pack of greedy peers, who snarf up all the treats at each house before he has a chance to grab any. But Oscar is truly a good dog-when two cats disguised as a monster chase his pals into the lake, he swims to their rescue and finally earns their appreciation. Pilkey's vibrant, cartoonstyle illustrations include tons of hilarious touches-Oscar's mother has crazy human lipstick lips painted on her muzzle; his teacher has a milkbone on his desk instead of an apple (and the lesson of the day is SIT-STAY); and the two ornery felines can often be seen laughing at the canines from their unique vantage point. This may be the funniest Halloween story ever written, and it's definitely got the most lovable hero.-Vanessa Elder, School Library Journal