When Siggy Met Phyllis - Brian Frederick - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Brian Frederick

ILLUSTRATOR: Vivien Sárkány

GENRE: Children's Story Book

PUBLICATION DATE: August 4, 2021

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A cute little children’s book about ‘love at first sight’ between a dachshund pup and a little girl. Lovely story, great word usage, whimsical illustrations. Much recommended.

Plot Preview:

“Puppy 3” (who shall later be called ‘Siggy’) isn't sure about what he is meant to do, but he likes to think about a lot of things such as his breakfast or the robins outside his window or his mummy who isn't with him during the day. When he sees a little girl come to his place, his world changes immediately.

The story is written in Siggy’s third-person perspective.

Children’s story books often have dogs, but dachshunds are not among the commonly found breeds. So when I saw this book with its quirky cover art and featuring a sausage dog, I knew I would give it a go.

This book is a prequel to introduce us to the adorable little dachshund puppy named Siggy and his little owner, a girl named Phyllis. This book was actually published AFTER the first book of the series, but I wanted to begin here. The story is complete in every way, as children’s illustrated series books often are.

Though this book is just for us to know how the two cuties met, the story still gives us a great glimpse of their personalities. Siggy’s thoughtful ponderings and Phyllis’s enthusiastic response towards the pup are so beautiful to read!

I think the book lends itself to many discussion points about dogs and their emotions, particularly about living with humans. Children might have questions about how it feels for such young pups to leave their mother and siblings, so better be ready with a convincing explanation.

The book is a bit text-intensive, so it might not be for independent young readers. But I appreciate how the font size is comfortable for little eyes and the page never feels cluttered even if it has a lot of text. The typeface is excellent, and the plain black text is at times interspersed with coloured text whenever emotions need to be stressed. The whole approach is fabulous.

The illustrations are amazing. The graphical style is so whimsical that each page feels like a work of art. I loved the sketches and the warm colour tone.

Overall, I enjoyed this cute little tale, and look forward to reading more of Siggy’s stories. If you have ever looked a dog in the eye and felt an instant connection, you will love the bond between Siggy and Phyllis.

Recommended to all doggy-loving little ones. The book ought to be great for ages 4-8 years.

This book is available free to download on the author’s site once you register for his newsletter.