Book: Thoughts of Dog: hello. it’s me again. i love you
Author: Matt Nelson.
Overview: This book tells stories from a dog’s perspective of their everyday life with their human and their “stuffed fren Sebastian” (an elephant toy). The book is based on the author’s popular twitter account, Thoughts of Dog (@dog_feelings).
Morals or lessons: varies across short stories, but generally: dogs are the best.
I especially love the way the book approaches grief in “Mailman” and comfort in “Fourth of July.”
Age range: newborn to adult.
This book, marketed as a children’s book, is an awesome option both for baby’s bedtime and for a Secret Santa gift for your dog-loving coworker.
Format: collection of eight short stories.
I personally really like this approach. You have options for easy stopping points or for a bingeworthy set.
Visual/reading ease: low.
The visual ease is great; the pictures are straightforward but engaging for readers who want to tell the stories themselves.
But the reading ease is why I rank this book as “low” in this regard. Everything is spelled, written, and punctuated the way the author imagines a dog would do so. So the grammar is all over the place, and there is almost no capitalization (and none that conforms to standard capitalization rules). This is charming in style, but it also makes the book difficult for new readers.
Biggest pro: how heartwarming this book is.
Every story points out some inherent and wholesome good. The theme of friendship is so beautiful and everyday (think Frog and Toad style). In other words, I think this book highlights the beauty of interdependence and healthy relationships in a way that reminds me of the good in the world and makes me want to be a better person, no matter what I’ve been reading or dealing with when I sit down to read it.
Biggest con: how hard to read this book is for new readers.
For reasons I’ve already explained, this is not a beginning reader’s book.
Fun factor: very high.
Seriously.
It’s a book told from the perspective of a lovable dog.
What do you expect?
How much heart: off the charts!
This book has SO MUCH heart, a comforting kind of heart, one that brings a smile to my face every time I read it (and sometimes a tear to my eye).
Re-readability: very high.
I find myself returning to this book night after night, naptime after naptime. This is definitely one of my top modern children’s books. I hope that you check it out and enjoy it as much as I do.
Have you read Thoughts of Dog? Share your review in the comments!
If you were already heading over to Amazon to order your own copy, would you do so through my affiliate link? Thanks so much!
Abby the Sociologist Doula 