Dads and Dogs; Mick Elliot

Who let the dogs out? Mick Elliot did in this doggie extravaganza where fur-ever friends take centre stage, bringing togetherness, happiness and plenty of memorable moments into the family home.

Pooches, papas and the simple everyday joys of life shine in this paw-some celebration of man’s best friend. Having a dog in your life is a pretty special thing and Dads And Dogs champions the good, the not so good, and everything in-between that a four-legged pal brings to the family.

Pages burst with energy and warmth as dogs bring the fun and frolics, mischief and mayhem, giggles and good times as they get up to all sorts of antics with their devoting dads. Digging and dancing, surfing and skating, playing and painting, cooking and coffee-ing, and so much more, canines are keen to participate in anything as long as they can do it with their adoring human.

A dull life is never possible with a cheeky dog around and paw-sitive family scenes and diverse representation deliver the feel-good factor with plenty of humour throughout. Sneakily eating popcorn, licking dad’s ear while he’s buried in the sand and leaping to catch a mid-air pancake are just some of the things that will have little ones howling out loud and barking for more.

Ideal for reading aloud and offers a nice opportunity for reading practice with a repetitive format and artwork that supports children in decoding unfamiliar words. Smile-inducing alliterative phrases introduce dad and doggo - Digging dad with a dirty dog; Bald dad with a bulldog; Rainbow dads with a rowdy dog; Skater dad with a sausage dog - and colourful family spreads - in pastel colours - depict dad, doggie and child/children engaging in all sorts of different activities.

This is a lovely picture book to share together, especially for doggie families. With so many different dogs and dads there is likely to be one that is easy to identify with. If not, you could always create a page of your own! Everyone will have a favourite; being a book lover mine has to be ‘Reading dad with a rescue dog.’

A doggy-filled, dad-filled delight. Guaranteed to be a hit with families that have a furry friend and those that want to welcome one into theirs.

Recommended for 2+.

With huge thanks to Walker for the copy I received in exchange for an honest review.