Pip Harry (text) and Carolyn Davis (illustrator), The Inside Dog, Lothian Children’s Books, February 2025, 32 pp., RRP $24.99 (hbk), ISBN 9780734423009
Meet Cuddles the dog, a cute little fluffball who likes nothing more than cosying on the couch, dozing by the fire, and watching the world go by from the safety of the window ledge. Home is where he feels protected and calm. However, one day he becomes aware that a family trip to a farm has been planned, and instead of heading to doggy day care to be pampered, he is going along, much to his dismay!
Suffice to say, things do not start well for Cuddles, with plenty of new challenges and high cortisol levels, but the narrative ends on a reassuring and positive note.
There are several great messages in this book such as stepping outside your comfort zone, trying new things, the importance of support and gentle guidance and that it’s okay to be nervous about unfamiliar experiences. Cuddles takes tentative steps with advice from the farm dogs and returns home with a new sense of achievement, ready for his next outdoor adventure.
Whilst the text is quite succinct, some rich language has been employed with words that may be new to young readers such as grave, suspicious, abundance and commotion. Carolyn Davis’s soft illustrations perfectly match the narrative, in warm reassuring tones.
A lovely narrative which also would act as a useful tool when the need arises, for ages 2-7.
Reviewed by Bronwyn Joseph
