My Dog, Hen is a very clever and timeless illustrated book

Illustrated books can be fun, moreover, they should be fun, because the actual point of the book is for children to enjoy them. All too often we’ll run across books that didn’t get the memo on that point. They do have a point, but their message is too in your face and simply forgets that kids won’t read it if it’s not fun. My Dog, Hen got the memo on that. There’s no message, no ulterior motive and it ends so quickly that you’ll double-check to see if the final two pages are glued together. As a result, its stark graphics will pull you in and the story of a boy, his family, and their dog is just the sort of feel-good read that kids will always enjoy.

The text in My Dog, Hen is written from the perspective of a young boy. His family finds a dog at the animal shelter. Some sentences are simple, a couple of them are complex, and there are a couple of three-syllable words with one five-syllable word. Yeah, those aren’t normally words that would be in a book that’s aimed at ages four and up, but this book is smarter than that.

It plays along wistfully at times, pivots to happy family scenes, and zips along to surreal happenings from the dog’s perspective. The images and text work with each other like a bow and curtsey to one another as they lead young readers or those older folks who might be reading it to an audience.

Hen is not a perfect puppy. He chews things that he shouldn’t, destroys dog toys that should be indestructible (5 syllables!), loves the freakishly large red rabbit that his gran makes him, and pulls on the leash. Basically, Hen is a dog, just like the one that you have, you’re neighbors have the one that passed over the rainbow bridge or that you’ve seen on television.

What makes My Dog, Hen really shine as an illustrated book is how the illustrations compliment the text. Had the text been written more succinctly or from a different perspective it would not have worked with the illustrations. Had the illustrations been more realistically drawn then the story would’ve had a sappy feeling. Thus, it’s been done before, and does the world really need another kid-and-his-dog book?

My Dog, Hen is about a dog and his boy, plus the really large red rabbit chew toy that the boy’s grandmother made. But there’s also the litany of socks that gran had fixed when his dad was growing up, the cat toys that the dog probably won’t mind, and the art, oh, my the art. This is a simple story, that’s written in a very clever fashion, that lets the brilliant art drive the book in equal fashion.

Hen grows up and becomes more of a sedentary canine. The boy grows up too. The big red rabbit is still played with but is equally used as a cuddle toy or pillow for the sometimes sleepy dog. There’s no grand story arc in My Dog, Hen.  This is not a great book to choose if you’re teaching elementary-aged students about the climax, rising or falling action. It’s the story of a dog, a boy, and the things that bind them. It’s also the art and humor of the text that will attract and keep young elementary students glued to My Dog, Hen until their younger siblings or rising classmates realize how timeless and cool this book is.

My Dog, Hen is by author/illustrator David Mackintosh and available on Prestel Junior, an imprint of Penguin Random House.

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