Children’s Books
Robbi Muir is the author, illustrator and designer of the book series:
Max the City Dog.
A Day at the Beach,
My Underground Zoo Adventure
The Blue Bottle Mystery
Robbi started her career as an illustrator in Vancouver, BC after studying Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia. She has been a graphic designer and creative director in New York City since 1985. Robbi loved drawing and painting since childhood, and recently rekindled her passion for illustration and water color painting. The Max the City Dog books were written and illustrated from 2020 to 2023. They were self-published with Ingram Spark and are available for sale online at Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
Max the City Dog Trilogy
A Day at the Beach
Max the City Dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, lives in Brooklyn and enjoys going to the beach in the summer. He rides with his “people family” on the subway to Brighton Beach. Once at the beach Max lays down on his beach blanket to bask in the sun.
He has many friends at the beach including the lifeguards.
Max runs along the beach and goes down to the ocean to cool off with Joey.
Suddenly Max spots Joey in the ocean, having trouble in the big waves, as a riptide suddenly comes in. Max barks frantically and runs up and down the beach to warn the lifeguards that there is an urgent situation happening.
Joey is rescued and Max is a hero! Max goes home tired, knowing that he helped save the day and his friend is OK.
My Undercover Zoo Adventure
Max the City Dog and Joey his best friend plan a day at the Bronx Zoo, but get separated before their adventure really begins. Max gets confused by large crowds and panics when he is surrounded by strangers. He runs amuck into the forest, ending up lost without any sense of direction. He spends a long afternoon searching for Joey, at the same time meeting many of the zoo inhabitants along the way.
It is a colorful story, full of surprising encounters and twists and turns, as Max makes his way through the zoo campus looking for his friend. Exhausted from his afternoon search, Max lays down and falls in to a dream. He wakes up to find Joey running towards him shouting his name. Happy and relieved to be together, they head for home to return another day.
The strength of friendship allowed Max to overcome his fears, persevere in his travels, to reunite with Joey again.
The Blue Bottle Mystery
One morning when Max the City Dog and his friend Joey are on their daily walk on the beach, they find a bottle washed up on the beach with a note inside. This discovery is the beginning of a series of leads the friends encounter to solve the mystery of the blue bottle. As clues are uncovered, the two detectives diligently follow them. Their diligence and patience is finally rewarded by an unexpected, larger than life discovery.
What started out as a small encounter, suddenly is gets magnified into “celebrity status”. During their adventure the friends work together closely supporting each other as they finally resolve the mystery, finally getting their well-deserved reward.
The story ends with an altruistic conclusion that is welcomed by all their neighborhood friends. The story is upbeat and reinforces the idea that there is still good in the world to be found.
Max the City Dog Testimonials
A delightful story about a boy and his dog. Beautifully and artfully illustrated.
“Max the City Dog” A Day at the Beach is a delightful story which highlights the caring relationship between Joey, a young boy, and his loyal dog, Max. There is fun, adventure and some good lessons learned in their event-filled day at the beach. What sets this book apart from many children’s books is the exquisite watercolor illustrations created by the author and artist, Robbi Muir. Children will love leafing through the book just to see the wonderful artwork of the sea, beach, boardwalk, subway and Coney Island attractions.“ Faith K.
I love this book!
“What a great New York City story about a boy and his dog. It's so city-like - taking the dog to the beach on the subway; going to Brighton Beach and Coney Island; and also highlighting a real danger that people can encounter in the ocean. But all with a happy ending! I bought several copies to give as gifts.” Jeff G.
It emphasis the rewards of curiosity and courage.
“This is a charming and delightful book for children, that I also enjoyed very much. The story, an adventure, about a boy and his dog, is told from the dog’s point of view. It reads like a travelogue of the Brighton Beach/Coney Island area in Brooklyn with accurate lighthearted illustrations. I gave this book as a Christmas present to several friends’ children in the suggested age group I also gave it to a slightly older child, because I knew she would love the illustrations.“ Margaret C.
The Illustrations Tell the Story
“As city boy with a Cavalier St. Charles Spaniel history I loved this story. Passed book on to friend for her grandkids.“ Peter J.