Dog loves drawing by Louise Yates

I read Louise Yates' first book about Dog, Dog Loves Drawing, for Cybils in 2010 (oddly enough, for some reason I seem to have thought Dog was female. But apparently she is a he. Oh well, it doesn't really matter). I thought the illustrations were lovely, but I'm prejudiced against "I love books" books.

However, I love sentient drawing books, a la Harold and the Purple Crayon so this one was right up my alley and I bought it right away for the library.

Dog still loves his books and his bookshop, but one day he gets a package with a blank book. It's from his Aunt Dora, who encourages him to write his own adventures. He starts with a door, then some doodles, then he draws some new friends and the adventures begin. Sometimes they get a little scary, but he can always draw himself out of trouble and there's a happy ending for all.

What I really liked about the illustrations in this book was the simple, child-like nature of Dog's drawings. They're markedly different from the expert illustrations that set the scene and Dog himself, and they look as if a child could draw them, but they're still professional and beautiful. It adds to the story to see the original drawings as the "real" world and Dog's stick drawings as the art.

Verdict: A lovely story that children and parents will enjoy, whether or not they are "artistic." I like that the book encourages doodling!

ISBN: 9780375870675; Published 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by publisher (used in fundraiser for colleague. it's a long story); Purchased for the library