Review Detail

Love Tails

Kids Fiction 640

A Tail Wagging Good Time

June 04, 2022

Overall rating

3.5

Plot

3.0

Characters

3.0

Writing Style

3.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

This short picture book announces that "every dog has a tail!" and show us a variety of dogs romping outside and getting to know each through sniffing. The book is arranged so that the dogs appear to be in a long line; we see one dog's bottom, and when we turn the page, we see his head. There are a variety of dogs, little and big, that frolic across the pages. The final message is that a dog's wiggling and waggling tale always proclaims "I love you".

Good Points

There must be a trend for children's book illustrations in the last five years to increasingly embrace a 1960s aesthetic. This has the sponge painting texture to the background, exuberantly colored flowers, and an angular feel to the dogs that makes me think of some of the books I had as a child. This made me think of Brown's The Color Kittens, a bit. The dogs have heart shaped noses and often have goofy expressions on their faces which are rather delightful.

The text is very simple and would bear up to multiple rereadings; something about it just begs for the reader to go back to the beginning and start all over again. Yound readers will giggle at the pictures of dogs sniffing each other's behinds, but that is, in fact, how dogs greet each other!

I love dogs, and read dog books to my own dog! There are never enough books about our furry friends. Include this in an ever growing stack of books about adorable dogs that includes Boyer's So Cute! Puppies, Green's Silly Fluffy Barking Jumping Wet-Nosed Dog Book, Ward's Dog Love: A Picture Book for Dog Lovers, and my favorite, Whaite's 100 Dogs: Playful Pups to Count.