Review: Little Dog

Little Dog is a lost puppy who joins a family holidaying by the seaside. Sam, his sister and his mother all love Little Dog and welcome him into their family activities. Dad isn’t so sure. At the end of the holiday, Dad gets the final decision on whether Little Dog gets to join the family on their trip home. What will he choose?

Little Dog is cute and adorable and very hard to resist as he joins in all the family activities. Any parent that has faced a child determined to have a pet will recognise the many attempts Sam and his sister make to win Dad’s approval. Little Dog does his part too, defying all Dad’s predictions that he will be too much work and too hard to take care of.

My youngest son loved the repeated phrases ‘Little Dog just wagged his tail. His whole bottom wagged too.’ For me, it conjured up such a wonderful image of the whole body enthusiasm that a pet dog shows for his family.

This is a short, sweet story with lovely illustrations that captures both the relaxed feel of a beach holiday and the joy a pet can bring to a family.


Title: Little Dog
Author: Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Tamsin Ainslie
Publisher: Scholastic, $26.99 RRP
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781741695526
For ages: 4 – 8
Type: Picture book