Old Dog

Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross

Andersen Press/Trafalgar Press
2011 / ISBN 9781842708804
Picture book (Ages 4 and up)
Amazon

Reviewed by Bob Walch

“We don’t want to visit Grandpa!” whined the young pups. “He’s so boring. All he ever does is talk about the olden days. And he has dog breath. And he keeps scratching himself. And he slurps when he eats.”

This is how this amusing picture book opens. The pups continue to complain, but their mother insists that they visit Grandpa. When they try to teach him to play new games, poor Grandpa can’t keep up. “You can’t teach old dog new tricks,” chorus the little pups. But, as they quickly discover, that’s not necessarily so.

“Stand back! Watch this, you young whippersnappers. You might learn something,” exclaims Grandpa. He then puts on an unbelievable show and informs his grandpups that he was once in the circus.

Suddenly, the pups are all ears and want to hear about their grandfather’s exciting past adventures. And, of course, he’s more than delighted to share
his past and perform a few tricks.

As the final page of this book comically illustrates – “There’s life in the old dog yet!” A timely book that will bridge the gap that sometimes exists between generations, “Old Dog” will suggest to children and older folks alike that there is common ground where they can meet and enjoy sharing information. The only trick is to find it!