Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates

Dog Loves Books by Louise Yates
Rating: 5 stars

There seems to be a few books out recently where dogs love to read!  This book is just as wonderful as How Rocket Learned to Read, though a little different.  Dog Loves Books is a simply wonderful book.  I mean, it is one of the books that I always hope Lorelei chooses for me to read to her because it makes me smile inside, realizing why I love books.  Dog and I have a lot in common...  I'll explain.

Dog loves books so much he opens a bookstore.  But no one comes (right away) to buy any books.  So he makes himself some tea and waits.  Then he can't wait any longer; with a room full of books he decides to start reading while he waits. 

I can't help but stop and say: Such a good habit!  You know the saying "always bring a book:, right?  In Peace Corps we'd say "Always bring two" because there's a whole lot of waiting, especially when waiting for transportation in developing countries!  And on that transportation, too... 



Simple drawings illustrate a simple story of dog's love of books.

 Ok, back to the book.  So Dog reads a few books and is instantly transported into the books.  His bookstore gives way to a dinosaur-filled jungle, and when he's done with that adventure he opens another and hangs out with a kangaroo and her joey.  When his first customer comes in, he's more than ready, because he knows what books to recommend to her. 

This, of course, totally takes me back to my days in India and Thailand, where I'd spend hours and hours reading, completely getting swept away by whatever story I was reading.  This skill was such a gift, especially when I could really feel the hundreds of miles between me and my family.  I'm doing my best to build this skill with Lorelei and Ben, mostly by having books available to them at all times, especially when they are falling asleep or waking up, and when we're in the car (are you surprised I don't have a video player in my car?).  Habits start young... 

The story ends: "Dog loves books, but most of all...he loves to share them!"  I'm right there with you, Dog.