This is a cute Halloween read- aloud, perfect for students K-3. My third grade class laughed out loud. ( )

Honestly, I find dachshunds so funny, it really doesn't matter what they do in the story. That said, this is a very sweet tale about a little dog that saves the day, despite everyone laughing at him for wearing the ridiculous costume his mom picked out for him.

All the other dogs make fun of Oscar the dachshund until one Halloween when, dressed as a hot dog, Oscar bravely rescues the others.

Oscar the dachshund is unhappy with his short but long body in this humorous Halloween tale from Dav Pilkey, creator of such childhood classics as Captain Underpants. Ridiculed by the other dogs at obedience school, Oscar is looking forward to creating a really frightening costume for trick-or-treating. Unfortunately his mother has other ideas, and he ends up with cumbersome hot-dog outfit that prevents him from keeping up with his peers on the big night. Is Halloween ruined? As it turns out, being a giant hot dog comes in handy when a 'monster' unexpectedly attacks the trick-or-treating dogs...

I enjoyed The Hallo-Wiener, which is told with Dav Pilkey's trademark sense of humor. There were a number of particularly amusing moments in the text - Oscar's mother calling him her "little Vienna sausage," Oscar showing up in his costume looking "quite frank" - but also some heartwarming ones, as when our canine hero accepts his costume despite disliking it, because he doesn't want to hurt his mother's feelings. The accompanying artwork is colorful and appealing, accentuating the wacky humor of the story. Recommended to Dav Pilkey fans, and to anyone looking for children's stories about Halloween and/or about accepting ourselves for who we are. ( )

I didn't have a very high going-in opinion of this book based on the name and the author (who is responsible for the bane that is Captain Underpants) but it ended up being very cute, and a fun non-spooky Halloween book. ( )