I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd

I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd
Buy I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sue Magee
Summary: Excellent rhyming text and anarchic illustrations make this a book that will be enjoyed people who love dogs and even those who don't. Recommended.
Buy? Maybe	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: March 2008
Publisher: Franklin Watts Ltd
ISBN: 978-1846169281
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A friend used to have a large white standard poodle and I remember visiting her one day after the dog had had a bath. She stood there, imperious nose stuck in the air whilst every bit if her coat was brushed and blown dry. I love dogs, all dogs, but I have every sympathy with the young heroine of Emma Dodd's book:

I don't want a posh dog.
A blow-dry-when-washed dog.

And there was a black version of my friend's dog with diamante collar and sweeping eye lashes. There are quite a few other dogs that our young heroine doesn't want either. She doesn't want a dog that will jump up and flatten her, which is quite understandable, but she doesn't want a 'handbag dog either, or a snappy dog, or a dog that's going to pull her over. There are a few others too. Our young heroine knows what she doesn't want.

She knows what she does want too. She wants a dog she can have fun with, one that will know and love her and who will do his best for her. Do you know? I think she might get one too.

This book is a delight to read aloud. The rhyming text makes you smile as you speak it and it's impossible not to laugh at the bold, anarchic illustrations which capture the dogs perfectly. Even better are our young heroine's expressions with just a few strokes conveying her displeasure at some of the more outrageous dogs or the joy of finding her favourite.

So, is it just a book for a child who loves dogs? No, it isn't. I showed it to a young friend who's frightened of dogs and although there were some initial squeals of worry about the dogs it wasn't long before we were discussing why dogs could be quite frightening and how you should behave with any animal. Of course, if you give this book to a child who wants a dog then you are never going to hear the end of it until you give in…

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

For children who love cats we can recommend Ginger by Charlotte Voake but for books about dogs it's difficult to beat Hairy Maclary by Lynley Dodd. If you don't want a posh dog, you will love The Night I Followed the Dog by Nina Laden.

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You can read more book reviews or buy I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy I Don't Want a Posh Dog by Emma Dodd at Amazon.com.

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