This one’s for all of the kids who ever had a pet growing up, especially a dog. If Bill the Dog was a song being dedicated on the radio, that’s how the presenter would introduce it. However, Bill the Dog is a children’s illustrated book about a dog who feels like he’s a bad dog. Is there such a thing as a bad dog? And if there were such a thing as a bad dog, would the dog have guilty feelings about it?
Bill the Dog is an enjoyable, silly, illustrated book that kids in second grade can read by themselves. If they can’t read every word they’ll be able to create context clues by looking at the corner-to-corner illustrations. Bill is a medium-sized dog who shares the house with Fluffy, an aptly named, smaller, fluffy dog. This dog is wily and gets into as much trouble as Bill, but manages to clean itself up with ease. Unfortunately for Bill, one clean dog and one dirty dog infers that the second critter is the one causing all of the trouble.
When the human gets home and sees the mess that’s been caused by Bill, they kick him outside. This leads Bill to reflect on his true nature and ask himself if he’s the problem. Bill channels his inner Taylor Swift and wonders if he’s the anti-hero. However, being a dog could limit his option as to what he can be. When he sees the birds in the tree he quickly scales the trunk and climbs out onto a branch. Bill tries to chirp like the birds do, but only manages a clumsy bark, which is far too loud. They invite him to eat, but he cringes when they gobble up insects and worms. When Bill wants to take a nap, as dogs do, he’s alarmed at the fact that he has to balance on a limb. His balance isn’t that good, so his legs start to wobble and he falls, snout first onto a group of cats.
While the cats are excessively cute, their hissing and coughing up green hairballs is disgusting, so he runs to the pond. At the pond he meets an alligator. Bill quickly discovers that the alligator simply wants to eat him, so he does what dogs do well, he runs. As he’s zigging and sagging, doing what dogs do, the birds and cats do what they do to help slow the alligator down. The birds peck and dive, while the cats throw up hairballs and hiss. Granted the intimidation tactics of the birds are more effective, but it’s played for laughs in Bill the Dog.
Bill runs back in the yard, with Fluffy only a couple of steps in front of him, as dinner is being called. The two dog friends quickly fall asleep with a ball and bone near them, as their new animal friends sleep outside-where they’re supposed to.*The silliness will keep kids coming back to Bill the Dog. A dog who is trying to act like a bird or a cat is silly. Heck, any animal who is trying to defy its natural instincts is funny or silly.
Bill the Dog has a shout out from the author to his parents. He thanks them for having a dog, Jenny, a rambunctious golden retriever, to him as a youth. Jenny provided a bunch of memories and no doubt had Bill serve as a stand-in during his thoughts and memories about the book. It’s an illustrated book that works for pet lovers, but mainly dog people, but everyone can’t be perfect. The illustrations and text will make young kids laugh as they think about the fish-out-of-water situations Bill is exploring. It also helps that the dog’s name is a very human one, Bill. There’s no overt message in the book, it’s just fun and silly, which is refreshing to see.
Bill the Dog is by Chris Britt and is available on Hippo Park, an imprint of Astra Books for Young Readers.
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*If you’re an inside cat person I understand. However, having had cats that are inside only and inside/outside, it’s the latter that seem happier. I know, they’re going to have a shorter life and might pose some damage to birds or chipmunks, but it’s natural. The same could be said for dogs too, and letting them sleep inside isn’t natural. However, these are talking points for another time.
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