The Twin Dogs; Chihiro Inoue

The Twin Dogs is the debut picture book from Japanese author Chihiro Inoue and it is a tail-wagging success.

The twin dogs have a good life; they enjoy exercising their human parents, they are well looked after - getting milk for breakfast, they play and they get up to mischief. All was grand until the day their parents returned home with something that was very, very noisy. And this was the day that everything changed…they were sent for exercise with a stranger, there was no longer milk in the morning, the games stopped and they had to be quiet. What on earth was going on? Life was not good, so the twins dogs came up with a plan to fix things…

I love this book! It is a highly amusing and entertaining story that explores how pets lives are disrupted and how they feel when a baby becomes part of the household. Confused and concerned that they are in danger of being forgotten about, the dogs set about to get rid of the new addition to the household. Usually it is the toddler causing a mess and blaming it on the dog, this idea is wonderfully flipped on its head as the dogs try and create mischief and blame it on the baby in order to get rid of it and get their old lives back. Ultimately, the dogs fall in love with their new sibling much to the relief of the worried parents.

Inoue’s delightful story is complemented by her own playful illustrations. The illustration of the dog’s hatching a plan with their mischievous grins is a personal favourite.

What’s not to like…sibling rivalry from a dog’s perspective - brilliant and original. A fine debut.

Recommended for 4+.