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The Longest Letsgoboy
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey meets Dog Heaven in this profoundly beautiful book about the special relationship between kids and dogs, the importance of language, and finding the meaning of life even in its final days.
Poignant, hopeful, and lovingly told, this dog's journey—told by the dog himself in his own unique words—proves that love abides beyond a lifetime, out of sight but never far away.
As a dog and his little girl go on their final walk together, he experiences the sights, smells, and wonders of this world one last time before peacefully passing on. But for such a good boy (oh yes, he is!) and his foreverfriend, that doesn't mean it's the end.
Offering a unique and noteworthy take on death, this book balances the somber topic with a dog's ever-optimistic viewpoint, all woven together with its unconventional yet fitting approach to language.
Family members, librarians, art-lovers, and educators alike will use this book as an accessible and comforting introduction to the ever-difficult topic of death, discussed and related in a new way with hopeful, uplifting, innovative language.
THE PERFECT BOOK TO TALK ABOUT LOSS: The perennial themes of grief, fear, and death are always relevant and classic discussion topics even in families not yet dealing with death. The perfect answer to kids' big questions about what happens when we die, this book will be a standard in every home library.
CREATIVE USE OF LANGUAGE: The words in this book are incredibly special, with phrases that conjure how the dog sees the world. The enjoyable challenge of matching up "letsgoboy" to a walk or "pufftails" to rabbits will make for meaningful discussions on a parent's lap or in a classroom reading circle.
TEACHES CHILDREN EMPATHY: Reading this story from the dog's perspective is the perfect way for young readers to understand that the way another character thinks and perceives the world is different from their own experience.
A BEAUTIFUL DOG STORY: Ideal for readers who love dogs, want dogs, or are going through a grieving process for their family dog, this book celebrates all that is most magical about these animals who are always by our side.
A COMFORTING MESSAGE: It's rare for a book about death to extend beyond the moment of dying. The continuation of the dog's story past this point makes it special and especially comforting.
Perfect for: parents and caregivers, dog lovers, educators
Poignant, hopeful, and lovingly told, this dog's journey—told by the dog himself in his own unique words—proves that love abides beyond a lifetime, out of sight but never far away.
As a dog and his little girl go on their final walk together, he experiences the sights, smells, and wonders of this world one last time before peacefully passing on. But for such a good boy (oh yes, he is!) and his foreverfriend, that doesn't mean it's the end.
Offering a unique and noteworthy take on death, this book balances the somber topic with a dog's ever-optimistic viewpoint, all woven together with its unconventional yet fitting approach to language.
Family members, librarians, art-lovers, and educators alike will use this book as an accessible and comforting introduction to the ever-difficult topic of death, discussed and related in a new way with hopeful, uplifting, innovative language.
THE PERFECT BOOK TO TALK ABOUT LOSS: The perennial themes of grief, fear, and death are always relevant and classic discussion topics even in families not yet dealing with death. The perfect answer to kids' big questions about what happens when we die, this book will be a standard in every home library.
CREATIVE USE OF LANGUAGE: The words in this book are incredibly special, with phrases that conjure how the dog sees the world. The enjoyable challenge of matching up "letsgoboy" to a walk or "pufftails" to rabbits will make for meaningful discussions on a parent's lap or in a classroom reading circle.
TEACHES CHILDREN EMPATHY: Reading this story from the dog's perspective is the perfect way for young readers to understand that the way another character thinks and perceives the world is different from their own experience.
A BEAUTIFUL DOG STORY: Ideal for readers who love dogs, want dogs, or are going through a grieving process for their family dog, this book celebrates all that is most magical about these animals who are always by our side.
A COMFORTING MESSAGE: It's rare for a book about death to extend beyond the moment of dying. The continuation of the dog's story past this point makes it special and especially comforting.
Perfect for: parents and caregivers, dog lovers, educators
48 pages, Hardcover
Published October 26, 2021
5 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Derick Wilder
3 books6 followersDerick Wilder is the author of The Longest Letsgoboy and the founder of Reading Giraffe, a literacy initiative with the goal of creating lifelong readers by making books come alive. He has been writing for as long as he can remember, and endless hours in the children's section of the library with his daughter sparked his love for picture books. He lives in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews
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December 29, 2021Definitely read this if you're the kind of person who likes erupting into sobs at the public service desk while people are watching.
November 4, 2021
This is far and above the most beautiful and original book I've ever seen about the loss of a pet. Told from the pet's perspective in brilliant "dog" language that is at once clever and heartwarming, it lends itself to many reads just to enjoy those words and the sweetness of the dog. And the art is beyond stunning. This book has all the makings of a classic. Extraordinary.
November 19, 2021
What a book! Derick Wilder has crafted a perfect picture book about the loss of a pet from the pet's perspective. I loved the use of language to create the sense of the dog and the dog's perspective on the world. It was endearing and a lovely thought that dogs see the world in this particular way. If you are a dog lover, you will love this book. Will it wreck you inside? Absolutely. That is the beauty of the book.
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
Find it today: https://ent.sharelibraries.info/clien...
Ashley C. / Milton Public Library #CheckOutMPL
February 4, 2022
I cannot even THINK about this book without crying. I was crying a literal two words into reading it at the library service desk I work at after my coworker finished doing the same and insisted I read it. It's so beautiful, so authentically and lovingly told, and so perfect that there aren't adequate words. I love the doggyspeak language, I love the embrace of the cycle of life and joy that accompanied this incredibly sad story, and I loved the depiction of death and the open-ended afterlife. This book has marked my heart forever.
November 11, 2021
10/10 will make every person who encounters it cry helplessly and I respect that talent
November 16, 2021
I thought the wording was strange and the illustrations distracting from the story.
June 16, 2024
My kiddo got this off the shelf which goes to show you either she and I have a sixth sense for accidentally picking picture books about death or our library just has SO MANY. Regardless, it's told from the point of view of a dog as he says goodbye to his little girl and I'm already tearing up just at the PREMISE so you can imagine me trying to sob silently as I read multiple pages and think about all my past doggos and current old dog. But yeah, it's good.
January 19, 2022
I was all set to dislike this book, based on the topic. (Please understand, sad books are totally necessary and needed, but sometimes I just don't want to read them.) But this books happiness shines through the sad parts so brightly, that I loved it anyway. The doggie language sometimes gets a bit much, but telling the story from the dogs perspective makes sense in the end. Very nice.
December 18, 2021
If I could give this book 10 stars, I would! I haven't cried this hard at a PB in a long time. Beautifully written and illustrated, even non-pet-owners will be touched by this sweet and poignant story. (sorry; that wasn't really a review...just how I felt about it)
February 13, 2022
A dog tells the reader about his last walk with his human girl owner, Little, and his passing on. He watches over the girl because she's his foreverfriend. A heart-warming story about death to tell children that we still have our memories and that our loved one can continue to watch over us. The endpapers at the beginning and end of the book extend the story to show how many memories he and the girl have together and how many new memories with the new puppy he can watch. This one would be a great one to teach perspective and storytelling. Since the book is narrated by the dog, all the words are ones the dog uses (letsgoboy), not words we humans use (walk).
July 2, 2025
I never know how to rate picture books. A creatively written book that deals with grief and loss from the point of view of the family dog.
I lost my cat in April so it had me in tears. 🥲
I lost my cat in April so it had me in tears. 🥲
November 22, 2021
This recent picture book release is a masterpiece, in my opinion, in both visual and narrative storytelling. I delayed writing about this one for more than a week, rereading it countless times. My dilemma in beginning these notes came from pondering where to begin. I settled on summarizing the story, then tossed a coin to decide whether the author or illustrator would be first in line for the praise that would follow.
From the opening endpapers to the final ones, an older dog's life and thoughts are revealed, including his exuberant embrace of life- from waking, to greeting his beloved "Little" (his foreverfriend), to walks through the "diggiedirt" into the "tallsticks", to the "gurgleburble", with a satisfying rest at the "smoothstump". Midway through the book our narrator reveals a gentle, happy, and glorious passage to another life, missing his Little and her pack of "two paws", but thrilled to run and romp with vigor when he realizes that his "oldbones" feel new. Several page turns reveal passing seasons, holding Little in his caring gaze, then thrilling to the conclusion that I will not spoil. This resolution is so satisfying and joyous that Itear up as I type this, offering readers reassurance that it is in every way a comfort and continuity in the cycles of life.
Since the above provides samples of the remarkable voice, perspectives, and language of the narrator, "gooddog", its appropriate that author Wilder won the toss, so my praise will continue with his text. l've heard and read countless examples of smile-making word creations by preschoolers, and I've created a few words while playing with my own dogs over the years. I suspect most dog people have done so. I never doubted that my dogs incorporated my normal language as well as these dog-specific word, some with more ease than others. I was always certain that their responses to language revealed remarkable intelligence and understanding.
Wilder appears to have been deeply connected to such dogs and to their concrete-descriptive-constructions. He speaks/writes in "dog-lish" superbly, with each use producing smiles and nods from this reader. They are laced through the text with a "just-right" frequency and fluency, never disrupting the narrative but rather enriching it with the sensory, innovative, heartfelt voice of the narrator. Readers/listeners of any age will translate automatically and engage with familiar experiences, but more deeply and fully through this voice. Reader immersion in "gooddog"s transitions and perspectives elevate a gentle and sensitive story by providing deep identifying and empathizing with these tender life experiences.
Illustrator Chien deserves equal praise for providing an immersive, experience that fully captures the spirit and sensitive flow of this story. The colors, tones, crayon-like edges/fills, and matte finishes stretch across each spread with scenes and images that swirl with specificity and impressionistic style. Each spread sweeps across our view but also invites close examination. The expansive spreads interpret the text perfectly, expanding the emotional and physical passages while anchoring the story in the poignant and loving perspectives of "gooddog".
Some caution picture book writers to not stretch such short text across long spans of time, unless intentionally addressing seasons, historic time frames, or otherwise required to do so. In this case, the text implies a long expanse of time, but Chien serves that quality efficiently and masterfully with visual techniques. The opening endpapers incorporate spot sketches of "gooddog" and Little across years from infant to toddler to early childhood. The closing endpapers mirror that process with a flip I won't reveal. The use of a dayglo orange collar from that initial introduction provides a thread that, consciously or subliminally, carries reassurance and delight of endless love from cover to cover.
If my description in any way sounds melancholy or miserable, I have done the text and images an enormous disservice. There are other outstanding picture books dealing with dogs and their Littles and life cycles. I adore, have written about, and recommend many of those, often. Even so, this exceptional blend of life-laughter-lingering-love, this unforgettable character with an instantly recognizable yet wholly original voice, these vibrant and soothing spreads combine to produce a picture book like no other.
From the opening endpapers to the final ones, an older dog's life and thoughts are revealed, including his exuberant embrace of life- from waking, to greeting his beloved "Little" (his foreverfriend), to walks through the "diggiedirt" into the "tallsticks", to the "gurgleburble", with a satisfying rest at the "smoothstump". Midway through the book our narrator reveals a gentle, happy, and glorious passage to another life, missing his Little and her pack of "two paws", but thrilled to run and romp with vigor when he realizes that his "oldbones" feel new. Several page turns reveal passing seasons, holding Little in his caring gaze, then thrilling to the conclusion that I will not spoil. This resolution is so satisfying and joyous that Itear up as I type this, offering readers reassurance that it is in every way a comfort and continuity in the cycles of life.
Since the above provides samples of the remarkable voice, perspectives, and language of the narrator, "gooddog", its appropriate that author Wilder won the toss, so my praise will continue with his text. l've heard and read countless examples of smile-making word creations by preschoolers, and I've created a few words while playing with my own dogs over the years. I suspect most dog people have done so. I never doubted that my dogs incorporated my normal language as well as these dog-specific word, some with more ease than others. I was always certain that their responses to language revealed remarkable intelligence and understanding.
Wilder appears to have been deeply connected to such dogs and to their concrete-descriptive-constructions. He speaks/writes in "dog-lish" superbly, with each use producing smiles and nods from this reader. They are laced through the text with a "just-right" frequency and fluency, never disrupting the narrative but rather enriching it with the sensory, innovative, heartfelt voice of the narrator. Readers/listeners of any age will translate automatically and engage with familiar experiences, but more deeply and fully through this voice. Reader immersion in "gooddog"s transitions and perspectives elevate a gentle and sensitive story by providing deep identifying and empathizing with these tender life experiences.
Illustrator Chien deserves equal praise for providing an immersive, experience that fully captures the spirit and sensitive flow of this story. The colors, tones, crayon-like edges/fills, and matte finishes stretch across each spread with scenes and images that swirl with specificity and impressionistic style. Each spread sweeps across our view but also invites close examination. The expansive spreads interpret the text perfectly, expanding the emotional and physical passages while anchoring the story in the poignant and loving perspectives of "gooddog".
Some caution picture book writers to not stretch such short text across long spans of time, unless intentionally addressing seasons, historic time frames, or otherwise required to do so. In this case, the text implies a long expanse of time, but Chien serves that quality efficiently and masterfully with visual techniques. The opening endpapers incorporate spot sketches of "gooddog" and Little across years from infant to toddler to early childhood. The closing endpapers mirror that process with a flip I won't reveal. The use of a dayglo orange collar from that initial introduction provides a thread that, consciously or subliminally, carries reassurance and delight of endless love from cover to cover.
If my description in any way sounds melancholy or miserable, I have done the text and images an enormous disservice. There are other outstanding picture books dealing with dogs and their Littles and life cycles. I adore, have written about, and recommend many of those, often. Even so, this exceptional blend of life-laughter-lingering-love, this unforgettable character with an instantly recognizable yet wholly original voice, these vibrant and soothing spreads combine to produce a picture book like no other.
September 11, 2021
A book to sit with as it unfolds with the most tender, inventive POV and language, turns, and bittersweet tears.
Read
January 3, 2023Made me cry at work.
February 2, 2022
Another picture book that I want to be sure to remember, this poignant story, told through the eyes and voice of a beloved old dog, is perfection. The beautifully rendered, painterly illustrations enhance the delightful word play of the text. I really hope this is how dogs think and see the world. Yes, it's pretty sad, but not in a sentimental way, and ultimately hopeful. Loved it.
April 13, 2022
Such a lovely book in every way. The language, from the dog's perspective, is unique and spot on. The soft illustrations are gorgeous, and the end pages tell a story as well. As my daughter and I are saying goodbye to our old dog, this story about the forever love between a girl and her dog is a comfort.
December 2, 2021
As a faithful and good dog prepares for his final romp with his "little" he reflects and shares with the reader all of the good times he's enjoyed. A touching look at the ultimate and final voyage ahead.
December 17, 2021
OMG this book. Heartbreaking and so lovely. Such a unique look at a pet's passing told from the dog's point of view and in his language for the world. What a beautiful meditation on death and losing a loved one. Get your tissues ready though. I was literally sobbing in my office while I was reading it.
January 27, 2023
Oof. The most beautiful gut punch. I didn't expect the doggo's perspective. I love the language. Good for kids who've lost a dog or whose dog is ailing, for all ages who've ever loved a dog, or lost a dog. For anyone, really.
June 16, 2023
I thought I might buy this for my classroom until I read the description. In silly dog language, a sweet good boy describes his final walk with his little girl.
I knew it would be way too devastating to ever read to students... so I read it immediately on Libby. Many sobs. Would not recommend. 5/5
I knew it would be way too devastating to ever read to students... so I read it immediately on Libby. Many sobs. Would not recommend. 5/5
November 19, 2021
Oh my goodness! I'm crying!
December 1, 2021
A beautiful book with tender and innovative language. For anyone who's loved an old dog.
February 13, 2022
I was smiling through my tears as I read this beautiful Pb, remembering my all my ‘gooddogs’ and the joyful times we spent together. When you read this book, you experience this sweet dog’s life through his eyes, ears, and other senses, but most of all, in his unique (and amusing) language. The art is lively and lovely. You’ll hug this book as you mop up your face. Trust me, this is a wonderful story.
August 14, 2022
No, I didn’t have dewdrop’s on my cheeks.
October 20, 2023
Absolutely beautiful illustrations and charming, creative prose. Plus, I'm openly sobbing.
October 30, 2025
I think it may actually be impossible to read this book without crying.
June 9, 2022
Make sure you have tissues handy. This emotional story is about a child and dog who go on their last walk together. It's told from the dog's point of view and definitely induced tears. A great book to help a child get through the loss of a pet.
September 29, 2022
❤️😭😭😭❤️
February 10, 2022
Talking about grief with little ones can make many caregivers uncomfortable. This is an incredibly well told story, with beautiful illustrations told from the dogs point of view. It was beautiful, and made me cry.
February 10, 2024
I’m sobbing my eyeballs out over this super beautiful book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 203 reviews