The Good Dog (a children's book) - Todd Kessler and Jennifer Gray Olson (illustrator)

I adored The Good Dog, which I received as an advance review copy from NetGalley.

I am a 63 year-old woman with no children of my own, but I am passionate about children's books. The Good Dog is one of the most precious and adorable book I have seen in a long time. While the story is not new - little Ricky Lee finds abandoned puppy, parents let him keep it as long as the dog is "good," family encounters misadventures and blames them on dog, but dog saves the day - the way this story is presented is marvelous. The sometimes "visual onomatopoeia,"when the text reflects what is happening in the story, e.g., "boyonabikecamezooning down the hill ..." is a spectacular technique. What impresses me most about this book is the illustrations. I don't know if they are watercolor, colored pencil wash, or ink wash, but the detail and care that went into each drawing is mesmerizing. The characters seem so real, and not at all cartoonish, and the careful shading and detail of the drawings are what tells the story. One endearing image is of Mrs. Lee and the two toddler daughters, who seem to be twins, painting the wall of the Happy Bakery: Mrs Lee is painting with a roller and the girls are using brushes, and one of the little girls has painted a tiny blue stripe on the back of her sister's onesie. I loved this book so much that I almost cried at the end - it was that beautiful - and this is one of those books that a Kindle cannot do justice. I will definitely buy this when it is published.