Hyena believes that none of the animals like her. She thinks that if she changes her identity she will be accepted and liked. But Hyena doesn't realise that each animal has a unique set of skills and, no matter how hard she tries, a hyena can't become an elephant, or a lion, or a leopard. When she becomes despondent, the other animals, including her own hyena clan, rally around to point out the good things about being a hyena. Finally, hyena recognises that she doesn't need to become another creature in order to be accepted. All she has to do is be the best hyena she can be.

The Wildest Dog is a thought-provoking story from prize-winning author Avril van der Merwe. She drew inspiration from watching the antics of her seven-month-old German Shepherd puppy who she adopted from a shelter in April 2021. Avril began writing for children when she worked as a pre-primary teacher in Cape Town, and high school English teacher in Johannesburg. She lives in Washington State (USA), where she works as an inspirational writer and speaker, as well as an author of children's, young adult and adult fiction, and poetry. Two of her short stories have been selected for an anthology for grades 4-7, to be published by Penguin Books in 2022.