To Dogs, with Love: A Love Letter to the Dogs Who Help Us - Maria Gianferrari - ★★★★.¼

AUTHOR: Maria Gianferrari

ILLUSTRATOR: Ishaa Lobo

GENRE: Children's Picture Book.

PUBLICATION DATE: December 5, 2023

RATING: 4.25 stars.

In a Nutshell: A picture book containing a love letter addressed to our four-legged best friends who go beyond being pets. Beautiful doggies, beautiful thoughts, beautiful illustrations. Could have done better on a couple of things, but overall, a lovely option for all dog lovers.

Who can resist a dog book, right? I certainly can't, especially not when it's in picture book form. I know such books always give me warm fuzzies – much needed during the crazy times we are currently living through.

As the tagline indicates, this picture book is a love letter to the dogs that help us. It is thus written in epistolary style, with the text containing a thank-you letter addressed to dogs.

The book is not just about pet dogs but also about dogs in service. We see dogs who provide comfort during difficult times, dogs who provide healing therapy to the hospitalised, dogs who offer company to prison inmates,... It's nice that the text doesn't attach any direct labels to the dogs such as service dog or library dog, but lets the graphics do the talking.

Some service dogs such as drug sniffer dogs and military/police bomb squad dogs are left out for obvious reasons. So I didn’t expect prison pups to be included in a children’s picture book; it might be a bit challenging to explain prison to younger kids without their asking too many questions. Conspicuous in their absence are guide dogs who assist visually-impaired people – these are the most common therapy dogs, so they should have been a part of this narrative.

The content doesn't just highlight the service that dogs do for us but also showcases how dogs (and their myriad body parts such as noses and fur and tails) come in various shapes, sizes, and colours. After all, doggie inclusivity is also important and all dogs matter. 😁 One of the dogs even has a doggie wheelchair for its hind legs. It was fun to see so many dog breeds within a single picture book.

The text uses simple words that will be easy for kids to understand. The writing is almost poetic at times, even though the content is in prose form. It includes some lovely adjectives and onomatopoeic words – always lovely additions in a picture book.

The backmatter contains details on the important role played by therapy dogs and on how adopting is better than purchasing dogs. My wholehearted support to all the info in these pages.

The illustrations complement the content marvellously. Every page is bursting with joy and energy, thanks to the canine marvels decorating it. The colour scheme is vibrant, perfect to represent the enthusiasm of dogs. All the cuties on these pages are sure to win your heart.

Overall, this picture book is a heartwarming ode to the best friends humans can have. We anyway know that dogs are awesome, but seeing the varied roles they play in society just confirms how we don't deserve these selfless gems. We are so blessed to have dogs!

Every dog lover will appreciate this book. And if you aren't a dog lover, go rethink your life choices! 😤

Definitely recommended. As this is more about service dogs than pet dogs alone, it would work better in classrooms for group discussions on pet animals, animal-human interdependence, and animals in therapy. The content would be perfect for ages 4 to 8.