Why Dogs Have Wet Noses

by Kenneth Steven, Øyvind Torseter

Quando l'acqua ricoprì la terra, Noè costruì un'enorme arca e fece salire a bordo tutti gli animali del mondo. Ma mentre navigavano successe qualcosa di terribile: nell'arca si aprì un buco! Che fare? Per fortuna Noè trovò una soluzione. Età di lettura: da 5 anni.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Christian, International, Mythology

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Kenneth Steven is a translator, writer, and poet. His longest translation, The Half Brother, was long-listed for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize and short-listed for the international IMPAC Award. He often completes work for NORLA (Norwegian Literature Abroad).

He lives in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland.

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Absurd or silly picture book by Norwegian Torseter, whose other works include The Hole (conceptual, cute) and My Father's Arms Are a Boat (moving). This one features the same Moomin-esque characters and colors to make you smile.

It's like a silly parental answer to a kid question: Daddy, Why Do Dog Have Wet Noses?

Well, sweetie, here's why: There once was a man named Noah, and he built an ark. So, shall we say a surprising answer?

I maybe shouldn't say exactly why the actual nose gets wet, but maybe spoiler alerts are less important with picture books, so here: There's a leak in the ark, Noah's dog's big nose serves as the stopper. Saves the future of the planet. I liked it pretty well. Made me smile.

[Kimberly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I...wow. I strongly disliked this one. The illustrations are super fun but I was disturbed by the situation with the dog. They just leave it down there for 20 days with no food or water, holding a hole closed with it's nose? How does it not drown? And he just barely remembers to go back and get the dog at the end? What is this teaching young kids? Yes, I know it's a silly children's book and a goofy retelling of the biblical story, but I had such a strong visceral reaction to this one--I was really upset. The average kid would likely not think along the same lines that I did, but some will certainly come to the same conclusions and might be just as disturbed. Maybe this is a difference between the American mentality toward dogs (we are a little obsessive about our pets; I am totally guilty of this) and the Norwegian mentality toward dogs (I'm guessing they are less obsessive).

The only thing I did like: Noah being drawn as a balding, bearded hipster. Too bad he's such a jerk to the dog.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I liked this. The illustration is wild and fanciful, unconventional and a bit odd. As a Christian, I'm a bit at odds with the story but it's not offensive and all in good fun. This is a re-imagining (*not* a retelling) of the Noah's Ark story. Really it's a combination of Noah's Ark and The Little Dutch Boy (the one who puts his finger in the dyke). Combine those and mix in an indigenous "why" or "how" legend and you've got "Why Dogs Have Wet Noses"! It's a cute story, the dog plugs up a leak with his nose, we have to imagine he can breathe under water but hey! it's a tall tale and the illustrator even throws in a rainbow at the end to acknowledge where the story comes from. Cute. I like that Noah and his wife look like Bohemian Beatniks.

[Nancy Kotkin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Story: 1 star
Illustrations: 1 star

A reimagining of the story of Noah and the Ark. Too text heavy for a picture book. Illustrations are so busy that they are difficult to decipher. But the main reason I dislike this book is because the dog is treated so poorly. I realize this is a tall tale, but Noah's actions would have killed that poor dog. After the dog plugs the boat's leak with his nose for 20 consecutive days, saving everyone on the ark including Noah, they reach land and Noah forgets his neglected dog on the ark. Really?

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful modern retelling of Noah's Ark. I loved the zany illustrations (bugs on cell phones, tattooed Noah, card playing hippos, commode sitting frogs, Noah's wife's punk do, vinyl spinning buck) .. and of course, the dog who saves them all. (Think Little Dutch Boy) As with all PJ Library publications, the illustrations are as entertaining as the book.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a modern folktale twist, this story explains why dogs have such wet noses. Originally published in Norway, this slightly irreverent take on the story of Noah and his ark will have animal lovers concerned but ultimately amused and impressed by the loyalty of one dog. All goes well once the ark has been built and the rains cause flooding that makes the vessel float. But a leak causes problems, and Noah comes up with a fast solution. It seems that the dog's nose is just the right size to plug up the hole, and there he sits for the rest of the voyage, obedient to the end. Once the boat finally stops on some land, all the passengers, animal and human, debark, and Noah almost forgets his loyal dog. Although there are parts of the story I liked--for instance, the contrast to the quietness outside the ark and the cacophony caused by all those animals sheltered within its walls, and the reminder that it took a lot of work to keep those creatures fed--I still felt sorry for the dog who must have been miserable stuck doing his duty. No dog should have it so tough or be so unappreciated. The illustrations have a cartoonish effect and encourage readers to look at them closely for interesting details.

[Brittany · Rating 1 out of 5]

I checked this book out for my daughter thinking that it was going to be a cute book about dogs. I was very wrong. It is not a good story, nor is it cute. This book is a spin-off tale about Noah and how he built the ark. However, in this story he is a modern day Noah with crazy hair and tattoos. He used power tools to build the ark, sprung a leak and stuffed his dogs nose in the hole to plug it. WHO DOES THAT?!?! If you are a very religious person, this is NOT for you. You will not like the "modern" twist and illustrations that are within the pages of this book. I felt a little odd when I finished reading it. It just felt all wrong to me. And not to mention that poor pup with his nose stuck in the ship wall. Poor thing.

[Nicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A way to introduce the story of Noah and his ark without giving a religion lesson. It's a cute way to answer the question: why do dogs have wet noses?! The illustrations are humorous and fun to look at.

[Alida · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first thought after finishing the book was "WTF?" Yes, I know it's a kid book, and the story is supposed to be absurd and funny, but even the beautiful and fanciful illustrations can't save it for me. The message is appalling, never mind the perpetuation of a silly myth.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whimsical illustrations with modern elements steal the show in this Noah's Ark retelling.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot to this story is fine, and sweet. The illustrations are why we come. So amazing! So funny! So heartwarming! Torseter's tiny sad dog makes my heart jump <3

[TammyJo Eckhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cover of this book is a bit misleading. What appeared to be weak art to my eye originally turned out to be very complex stories told in the images that expanded upon the text. While you could read through the book in 10 minutes, you could easily spend an hour looking at the details and the subplots that are going on the very large pages. Color is spare but very poignantly used.

I am not familiar with the Norwegian story of Noah so this book was a bit odd to read for me and for my audience I shared it with. That dissonance made us a pause a few times to talk about what was going on and why things were happening in the images and the words. For us, that was a good conversation but it may be difficult for more conservative families to discuss. We decided that this is a alternative reality Noah because we see modern tools and technology around him as well as animals in strange situations.

The book is big, the pages are just shy of a foot long and over 8.75 inches wide. That actually made the book a bit of a challenge for me to hold but if I'd thought about it, it would have been perfect to lay flat on a table for us both to look at while I read and we discussed it.

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

An otherworldly rendition of the biblical tale Noah’s Ark. The starring role? Noah’s dog. The book begin quite nicely. Noah builds a large boat and goes around gathering up his animals. Unfortunately, despite the silliness of it all, the boat springs a leak and Noah used his dog’s nose to plug it up. It is understandable that the story was funny and it taught the message of devotion and loyalty, however, a fact that cannot be ignored is the terrible luck of the dog whose nose was stuck to a leak for forty days and forty nights in order to prevent sea water from flooding into the ark. Even more so, many of the boat’s inhabitants were fairly calm about this, some even had a party. It wasn’t until the ark landed onto shore that the dog was relieved of his duties. For some reason, though this is not true by the book concludes it, due to the poor judgement of a human, from then on, dogs had wet noses.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A folklore tale that takes place during the configuring of Noah's Arc. Noah built the great Arc as god intended, but one day there was a hole in the boat that was leaking - threatening to sink the whole ship! Noah quickly picked up a dog and poked his nose into the hole. When they made it to land, the dogs nose always stayed wet after fulfilling his great job. To this day (the book says) this is why dogs noses are always wet. Silly!

[Abby Herp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very delightful, humorous, and creative way to reveal how dogs have wet noses. The illustrations in this book are captivating and give the story more flair. The illustrations are definitely just as important as the words.

[Sourimak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pas un album qui restera gravé dans ma mémoire. Ni le style graphique, ni l'histoire réécrite de l'arche de Noé ne m'ont touchée même si habituellement j'aime bien les récits étiologiques. Ma fille a plaisir à regarder les images qui regorgent de détails et de petites histoires parallèles.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Explanatory story takes place in Noah's ark.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful twist to the Biblical story of Noah's ark, all wrapping around a dog's special job on the boat.

[Óscar Trobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relectura. Entretenido. Es asombroso cómo el estilo de Torseter cambia de un álbum a otro.

[haeli · Rating 1 out of 5]

ANOTHER horrifying children’s book wherein a dog’s mouth and nose are completely submerged in water for 20 days and noah is a crackhead hipster with no morals

[mati · Rating 2 out of 5]

muy triste pobre perro

[lauren sherree · Rating 2 out of 5]

:( poor puppy

[LaLa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bible story! There is no indication on the cover that this is a bible story and lemme tell you it is! My favorite artist. Incredible art. BUT BIBLE

[J Porter · Rating 2 out of 5]

animal abuse

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Renown Norwegian illustrator, Øyvind Torseter's, unusual illustration style delights young readers with a funny pourquoi (why) story explaining why dogs' noses are wet. It's the story of Noah's Ark with a twist. When Noah and all the animals, including the dog, were snug in a noisy ark, one day the ark sprung a leak and begin filling with water. Quick-thinking Noah used poised his dog to plug the hole and save the day.
The illustrations have a somewhat seussesque pallet with kind of Quentin Blake twistiness to the story. Kids will love the animal antic illustrations.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many mixed feelings about this ridiculous book...

When I first realized it was a Noah's Ark story, I thought oh no... It's going preach religion to me. No. It doesn't mentioned God at all, actually. And it becomes very clear that kids who read the book are not expected to think this actually happened, as there's an elephant playing the piano and Noah's wife has a sidecut. (Noah and his wife would be crazy hipsters tho. Who else would sail on a boat for 40 days and nights? Well... hipsters and my boyfriend's parents.) I think this modern twist on the story is super funny. The myth is so far-fetched to begin with, so why not take it even farther? The illustrations are also super fun.

But I do have a bit of a problem with the way Noah treats the dog. It's kind of funny that he uses his nose to plug the hole in the boat, and obviously it's not supposed to be realistic so I'll let it go that he doesn't drown to death. But that doesn't change the fact that Noah leaves him all alone for days. Dogs are supposed to be man's best friend. I felt bad for this poor doggy. I mean it could be a tongue and cheek way of saying, we're just like this dog if we think we have to do everything the Bible says. But yah, this is a kid's book so no.

[Karen Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some picture books can be face-timed across country. Some can’t. The artwork is so detailed, so compelling, that you must read it close up. It’s a lap book.
Why Dogs have Wet Noses by Kenneth Steven and illustrated by Oywind Torsetter is one.
Noah’s ark sails through seas until a chestnut size hole appears in its side. What to do? Luckily, Noah ‘s dog has a big black nose, the perfect size for plugging a leak. Close up and personal, you see animal antics in the background that make reading it a delight.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern "pourquoi" tale that rivals Kipling's in charm and quality. Although most people think of all the exotic animals aboard Noah's Ark, it turns out there was a dog too -- and a good thing, because it is the faithful, obedient dog's nose that saves the day when the Ark springs a leak. The detailed illustrations are a delight to pour over -- so many droll and funny things to spy.

Originally published in Norway, 2012
2015 by Kenneth Steven for English language text

[Kjersti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeg kan tenke meg at noen barn sikkert synes historien i seg selv er spennende, men det er Øyvind Torseters illustrasjoner som virkelig løfter denne. Hvem visste vel at Noah måtte på café for å finne passasjerene sine, eller at cornflakes går ned på høykant også blant dyr? Boka er stappfull av fine detaljer som gjør lesingen ekstra morsom.

[Brindi Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On one hand I'm happy it's a tale based off the biblical story of Noah's ark, but on the other hand I want to CRY OUT, "POOR, DOG!!" for the dog and the job he's given. Yet, it's a creative (Christian) view on why dogs have wet noses