“Dear Mrs. LaRue – Letters from Obedience School” written and illustrated by Mark Teague is the story of Ike the dog and his time away at Brotweiler Obedience School. Published in 2002 by the Scholastic Press it was a winner of the Christopher Award. 

The Christopher Awards were created in 1949 to celebrate writers, producers, directors, authors, and illustrators whose work "affirms the highest values of the human spirit" and reflects the Christopher motto, "It's better to light one candle than to curse the darkness." 

Mark Teague is an American author and illustrator of children's books. Teague has illustrated over 40 books including the Poppleton series, the First Graders from Mars series, The Great Gracie Chase, and other favorites. Although he had no formal writing training, he quickly became a writer of over 20 children's books once he decided to write. Each of Mark Teague's books starts as "notebooks full of sketches and scribbles, strange little drawings and phrases that suddenly come together" he has described in interviews. During his creative process, he doodles and scribbles with no aim. Most of his books address common childhood fears.