All You Need To Know About Dogs: By A. Cat (And Fred Blunt)

 

Publication July 9, 2024

Look at the happy dog's face on the cover. That's the dog the author Cat has issues with. Then notice the rather resting irritated face of the cat. A. Cat doesn't like dogs. In fact, he thinks they're stupid. Well, since I gave pause at that word as I read it aloud, albeit only to my dog at that moment, I'm sure that word will give pause to some parents but, let's face it. If that's the worst word our children learn, insulting and belittling as it is, we should be thankful in this day of round-the-clock profanity about everywhere. In any case, I decided it really didn't bother me and, hey, it didn't bother my furry canine, so worked for me. Other than that brief moment, and it is quite brief, I grinned at the illustrations and enjoyed the cat's tale. Bet your little ones will enjoy it and, hey, if you're bothered by any word, there's nothing stopping you from using another or choosing to talk to your child about word choices being important. In any case....

The blurb tells the story nicely, so I won't dwell on that. The illustrations are adorable and capture both movement and expressions well. Given my own dog's dislike of squirrels, I particularly liked the picture showing the dog chasing a squirrel up a tree, something Cat disapproves of greatly. The way the dog's wildly wagging tail is illustrated at one point makes it almost jump off the page, btw. The one of the cow saying "Pooooo" as the dog rolled happily in what appears to be a quite dirty, stinky mud puddle was cute, too. In fact, Cat can't seem to find anything good about dogs....until....you guessed it, they prove useful. I'll leave that to you to discover. The illustrations are largely in soft pastel colors, adding warmth to the tale, I will note, and I liked that we meet more than one type of dog, from big and small to even "cop" dogs. Nice touch. I guess my furry girl falls into the squirrel chasing category albeit she's never gotten close to catching one. Maybe this section could lead to a discussion with children about appearances being deceiving? In any case, A. Cat, your secret is safe with me. I won't give away your secret.

Thanks #NetGalley and #QuartoPublishingGroup - #FrancesLincolnChildren'sBooks - #HappyYak for sharing this cute, humorous story with me. Even my dog enjoyed it, especially the ending. That last illustration is darling.