What If My Dog Had Thumbs?

by Mike Perry

What would it be like if our narrator’s dog had thumbs? Would she still be lots of fun, or would she sometimes feel glum? Written in rollicking rhyme and brought to life with funky, fluorescent illustrations, this hilarious tale of what-ifs will leave readers in an uproar, making this a book to read again and again!

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

Published September 3, 2019

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mike Perry asks a good question, and then answers it in a series of goofy (and often not quite right) rhymes (I don't mean skillful "off-rhymes" but the lines don't always quite scan and the language is just okay. The book has three things to offer: 1) it may be amusing for some younger readers; 2) the best line in the book is the dedication: "For Bass, who is still trying to open the fridge," and 3) the way bright psychedelic colors that reminded me of the op-ed posters from Peter Max I used to have in my room in the sixties.

[M. Lauritano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This offset printed book really pops out on the shelves! With a style that somewhere between pop 60s cartoon and 00s stoner zine, this rhyming picture book seeks to answer the title question, meandering from one speculation to the next. As a work for children, it feels kind of like something come from your weird uncle or cool camp counselor. It is definitely not my favorite kind of picture book story or aesthetic but it unquestionably deserves a shoutout for its confident, unabashed weirdness! There’s a group of oddball kids out there that will love this.

[Val · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the art and concept but wasn't such a fan of the text. It didn't ALL rhyme, but when it did it felt like it was trying too hard. I know the benefits of rhyming for kids and language development and such, but like.... I'm still not gonna automatically love all rhyming in picture books. Then again, I'm not the target audience for this one, so *shrug*

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ALA had a prize for the most psychedelic illustrations in youth lit, this one would win instantly. Beyond that, the book is cute but I could see it not being for everyone.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It kind of hurt my eyes, and some of the text would require explanation (i.e. define legume); but for any child with a dog, I think they could get into it. It would probably also work for stoners.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Garish illustrations that I grew to appreciate a bit after my eyes adjusted. Real late 1960s/early 70s vibes (think HR Pufnstuf, oompa loompas). The rhymes are kind of dull and repetitive but will probably make little ones chuckle, and some of the images they evoked were silly enough to make me smile. A weird and inspired book.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow...am I in the minority here with my rating!

I loved this book! I read it to my 1-year-old grandson and he was enchanted with the illustrations. I loved them, too! The text was rhyming, but with not a lot of regard for cadence. But for me, it really worked.

Great story. Whimsical, colorful, insightful.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised at the relatively low reviews for this book. Maybe it helped that I got this from a random assorted pile at the library, so I had no expectations, but I LOVED the color palette, enjoyed the slightly unconventional rhyming scene, and thought it was a solid book overall. I also loved seeing the Broad City animation style again.

[Dna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to a rowdy group of 150 5- to 8-year olds and the opportunity to repeat the line
"What If My Dog Had Thumbs?" every couple of pages was TAKEN. The kids loved this book, in particular because of the rhyming and bright, almost psychedelic illustrations. I've added this to my well-loved story time books and plan to read it again and again.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good content, pictures and coloring were a tad too bright for my taste. I did like the last pages one of which asked the reader to draw what your dog would do if he/she had thumbs...Gunther would turn on the TV...the other page explained the process of creating the book, great for budding authors.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just found this one at the library the other day and really liked it. The illustrations are bright, colorful and different than the art I've seen in other children's books. The story was entertaining and funny. My 2 year and I had a great time reading it together.

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The neon colors caught my attention at the library -- so much so that I had to check it out.
Four+ stars for standout illustrations; the rhyming text is more like 2.5.
I appreciated the authors/artists notes at the back detailing the making of the book. Nicely done.

[Courtenay · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5 stars. Neon blend, ew, hurts my eyes. Off rhymes, ew, hurts my ears. A story that makes no sense (thumbs logic), ew, hurts my brain. The best thing going for this book is... it's about dogs and their possibilities. Worth at least 1.5 but I couldn't go higher.

[Andrea ODonnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly and brightly colored book that had my baby giggling and staring intently. Did it have a deeper meaning? No. But I did like the silly question and encouragement to think about something not so serious.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanna read this with a black light. It's all in fluorescents.

[Lillian Slater · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very imaginative!

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

A fun conceit ruined by the author's decision to explore it in verse. At best, the lines are strained; at worst, he drops "doldrums" in as an endword with other endwords like "thumbs" and "plums."

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this would be a hit in my dog-loving household but I was wrong. The colors are vivid but the dog looks uncanine. Initially, she looked like a wolfhound-komondor mix but as the story progressed the dog's physique looked more humanoid like a werewolf or a Yeti. The prose is in rhyme. again it starts out short and pithy but gets more complicated and clunky with some words beyond the ken of little kids. The author's musing veer from activities that require thumbs, like opening the refrigerator to things the dogs could probably already do without thumbs like howl at the moon. I did like the page in the back where the reader can write down things their pet would do if they had thumbs. but overall a disappointment.

[Michelle Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

The poem was cute but the extreme brightness of the illustrations would make it hard to use in storytime and was really hard on my eyes.