Be More Dog

Be More Dog
Publisher Name
Floris Books
Age Range
1+
Release Date
October 03, 2023
ISBN13
978-1782508328
ISBN10 or ASIN
      
This feel-good story will paw at the heartstrings of all dog lovers.
Happiness is all around us. Sometimes you just have to BE MORE DOG to find it!
Sam the dog can find happiness in the most unexpected places: a smelly old boot, a deflated ball, even in a muddy puddle! When Dad leaves for work, Sam's young owner feels like happiness has left too. Can a child learn a few new tricks from a carefree canine and feel happy again?

This funny and uplifting picture book about finding joy in simple things celebrates the bonds we have with our pets and encourages us all to be more dog!

Editor review

1 review
The Secret to Life: Be More Dog!
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
4.0
A young boy is not happy that his father has to go to work while he is at home with his Granny and Sam the dog. He feels that his happiness was packed in his dad's bag, and he won't be able to find it again. Luckily, Sam has a good attitude about everything, and his tail is always wagging with happiness. It doesn't hurt that Granny bakes cookies. Sam and the boy spend the day together sniffing things, finding treasures, playing ball, and running around. He feels happy for a bit, but the rain washes it away, and he's also concerned when his father doesn't come home until late. Luckily, his father eventually does come home, and the boy knows that even when he isn't there, his father is thinking about him. Having Sam the dog is a big help to alleviate anxiety and help him enjoy life.

Good Points
I didn't think about my children missing me when I left until I was in graduate school for library science and a professor gave me a copy of Waddell's Owl Babies and Audrey Penn's The Kissing Hand! As a child myself, I was always happy with my babysitters, and glad that my mother was able to be out working. Today's children are much more anxious, and I can see this being a helpful book to read with a child who misses a parent, no matter how good Granny's cookies might be.

The bright yellow cover will draw readers to this book, and the illustrations of Sam show all of his doggy exuberance. I loved that Granny is often in the background as well.

Dogs are a great comfort, to have around, even if they are YOUR dog. We see this in Horan's I Have Seven Dogs, where the little girl befriends dogs in her neighborhood. In Lindgren's classic Tale of the Tiny Man, the man reluctantly realizes how much he enjoys the company of a dog, and Tarshis' Only My Dog Knows I Pick My Nose shows that dogs love us despite our faults. Be More Dog is a great book to show how comforting dogs can be... and is also a great slogan for a t shirt. Of course, if I were more like my dog, I would sleep all day!
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