There are two things that nearly all preschool and primary school children like or want: pets and lift the flap books.  My Dog Ralph cleverly combines the two.  Its subtitle ‘everything you’ve always wanted to know about owning a dog’ is perhaps a little grand for a 32 page humorous lift-the-flap book, but it makes a really good start.

Heens has created a very lovable and whacky dog, Ralph and an equally whacky owner. Ralph is a humorous devise to introduce facts about looking after dogs which she then generalises into comments about all dogs.

The story starts out quirky, and although Ralph is quirky all the way through, the text seems to run out of puff and ends up being quite a straight instruction manual for young pet owners. 

The book is sturdy in its construction, with pages of heavy card and lift the flaps which should wear well.  I was a little disappointed with the inconsistent style of layout and headings and wished that the last two pages had been replaced with more about Ralph instead of fillers that had little to do with the story (make your own Ralph and find the difference).  Heens could have done much more about feeding, housing or even training Ralph.

However, this book is still a winner because her crayon and line illustrations of Ralph and his other canine pals are so engaging – the reader knows exactly what Ralph would be like to live with.  This book is recommended for children aged 2-8 years old.

Review by Sarah Mayor Cox

© 2003 Sarah Mayor Cox