About This Book:
Smudge the dog and his girl visit animal after animal trying to identify the strange sounds Smudge makes in this “sweet, heartwarming” (School Library Journal, starred review) novelty book with lift-the-flaps that proves you don’t need words to show you love someone.
Smudge looks like an ordinary dog but rather than woof, bark, or bow-wow, he makes rather extraordinary sounds. His human can’t tell what language he’s speaking, so she decides to consult other animals. From a cow to a pig to a busy bee, everyone is just as baffled by Smudge’s noises.
But perhaps what really matters is not the language Smudge speaks but what he’s saying. Little ones can lift flaps to reveal each barnyard animal and, ultimately, find out what Smudge has been trying to communicate all along.
*Review Contributed By Adrien Carter, Staff Reviewer*
Learning to Communicate
Smudge looks like a regular dog, but he makes different sounds that aren’t typical of a dog. His human is curious about what language Smudge is using, so she goes to speak with the other animals to see if she can get any answers from them. His human goes through all of the barnyard animals to find that it might not matter what language Smudge is communicating in, just what he is saying.
What I Liked: This book is great for teaching young children the various sounds that animals make and to highlight how, regardless of how they say it, they are all communicating the same thing. This was a fun way to learn about different animal sounds and also to see how different Smudge was from other dogs. The various sounds he makes throughout the book add a sense of humor to the story, as you can imagine a dog sounding like a chicken, a pig, and more.
Each illustration is sweet and cute, appearing to have been hand-drawn and colored, which adds a nice charm to the story. The flip-the-flap style of this book is great for younger children, as they will love guessing what animal Smudge sounds like and what they will find underneath each flap.
Final Verdict: My Dog Smudge is a fun flip-the-flap book for children ages 4 and up. They will enjoy flipping the flap to see what language Smudge might be speaking. Everyone will delight in discovering what Smudge was trying to communicate all along, as we reflect on all the things we think our dogs say to us.
