I Didn’t Do It! is a beautiful, beautiful book. The paintings by Katy Schneider are pure art. I’ve purposefully used the book cover with amazon’s “look inside” so that you will do just that. You can see a few more of the pictures and read one of the poems.
The dog’s expressions are perfect. A non-dog lover who thinks that our four-legged furry friends are just animals might not get that, but those of you who know the soulful love that only a pup can give you know exactly what I mean.
The text, written by Patricia Maclachlan and her daughter Emily Maclachlan Charest is non-rhyming poetry, but the rhythm is very catchy and appealing.
Not only was I captivated by the beautiful pictures and amused by the text, which is written from the dogs’ points of view — things that they like or don’t like, and of course the title “I Didn’t Do It,” — but so was my six-year-old son. After I read the whole book aloud, he went back that same day, reading some aloud to me, and some to himself. Hearing a beginning reader read them aloud made the perfection of the meter and the beat even more apparent.
This would be a great gift for any dog lover, young or old.
I can’t get over how much I love I Didn’t Do It!, so it’s appropriately landing on the 5 Stars Reads page.
Jennifer Donovan lives with the best dog in the world, Shadow, and her husband and her two kids. The dog is her husband’s favorite family member. Read more of her dysfunction at her blog Snapshot.
Dawn says
I don’t have a dog now, but growing up, we had the world’s best black lab/husky mix who had a fantastic personality. I’m glad you and Kyle enjoyed this book so much!