Cover Image: What A Wag!

What A Wag!

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Member Reviews

Embarking on the whimsical journey of "What A Wag!" felt like opening a treasure chest of canine tales, where each page is a delightfully wagging story waiting to be told. Gill Rowe's poetic prowess, now in its eighth glorious installment, is a testament to the art of capturing the essence of our furry companions.

The delightful collection, viewed through the lens of our canine friends, explores the vast spectrum of personalities residing within fifty distinct dog breeds. From the dignified Alaskan Malamute to the ever-faithful Alsatian, each poem weaves a vivid tapestry of traits that are both heartwarming and comically accurate.

The hand-drawn illustrations, akin to charming sketches from a dog's scrapbook, add an extra layer of endearment to the verses. The artistic touch brings forth the spirit of each breed, making the visual journey as captivating as the poetic one.

What I particularly enjoyed was the inclusivity of breeds. Whether you have a soft spot for the regal Doberman, harbor love for the elegant Miniature Poodles, or find joy in the playful antics of Cavapoos, the collection caters to the diverse tastes of dog enthusiasts.

While the poetry captures the charm of each breed impeccably, I found myself yearning for a bit more depth in exploring the unique quirks of some breeds. A deeper dive into the distinctive traits that make each dog special could have added another layer of engagement.

Nevertheless, "What A Wag!" is a delightful homage to our furry companions. The poems, presented with humor and affection, create an engaging read for dog lovers of all ages. Gill Rowe's poetic celebration of our four-legged friends is a heartening reminder of the joy and warmth they bring to our lives.

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An absolutely wonderful and unique book, I will be using this as inspiration during the poetry module of my creative writing degree!

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What a Wag! by Gill Rowe is an adorably illustrated book of dog themed poetry perfect for any animal lover. It was sweet and cute, and I enjoyed seeing every poem. It was a very sweet read that reminded me of the unique attributes and cuteness of each type of dog. I will keep this in mind for the pet lovers I know in my life.

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Such a cute collection of poems about dogs, I don’t think I’ve read much like this written recently , it’s fun and informative. I would have liked for each poem to have its own illustration for each dog, but it’s a great collection

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

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Title: What a Wag
Author: Gill Rowe
Genre: Poetry
Pages: 81
Publication Date: 1/28/2021

What a Wag! is a delightful collection of poetry about different dog breeds. There are illustrations that accompany some of the poems. What I found particularly fun about this book was learning about breeds of dogs I had not learned about before and also reading the poems of my favorite’s breeds – like Corgis!

One fun fact I learned – German Shepherds change their name to Alsatian after World War I to remove the association with Germany. I name changed back in 1977.

The rhyming structure of these poems is quite simple – using rhyming couplets/triplets. This means it is easy to read for readers new to poetry, dog lover, or younger readers.

ARC provided to me by The Book Guild, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#WhataWag #NetGalley

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Thank you so much to NetGalley and The Book Guild for a digital galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions stated are entirely my own.

What a Wag! was such a cute little dog poetry book! As a huge dog lover, I really enjoyed this book. There were cute little poems for different dog breeds. There were also a few dog drawings that were adorable. I think this is the perfect collection of poetry for anyone who loves dogs as well as anyone wanting to read something light and fun.

My only complaint is that a few of the poems were a bit boring. Some were very funny and entertaining, but some were not.

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Hey folks, daddy Steve here with some doggiebook talk. I will try to really make a dent on my backlog of doggiebook reports this week. I have five, FIVE of them finished that I want to tell you about...

We’ll start it today with a fun poems collection titled What a Wag! by Gill Rowe.

For those who have been following Malcolm’s page for more than a year, I reviewed this author’s previous poems collection about a year ago, Tails you Win it was titled.

This one is more of the same, 50 poems about 50 different breeds of dogs, some of them I did not even know before reading the book.

As I said last year, I’m probably not the best to judge the quality of the poems, giving that I read and speak French first, but suffice to say that I was entertained by them and liked them very much. This kind of book is perfect for any dog lover.

Huge thanks to NetGalley who provided a free eBook advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. This is as honest as it gets...

The book is currently available for sale.

Here’s a link to my review of Tails You Win:
https://www.facebook.com/malcolmstories/posts/540785916530716/

#Malcolmstories #doggiebooks
#NetGally #WhataWag

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I enjoyed this quick read. Such a happy little book about dogs. One that would be a good gift for a friend or dog lover.

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What a Wag! by Gill Rowe is such a delightful little collection of poetry all dedicated to dogs of all sizes. While it did not include some breeds (of which there are many, of course!), I did learn more than a handful of other breeds I hadn't known about. My family used to have a Maltese named Loki and what a beautiful surprise it was to find a poem written about him/his breed.

I highly recommend this poetry book to everyone who is a dog-lover! Thank you, NetGalley and The Book Guild for an eARC.

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I loved reading this alongside looking up pictures of each breed. Would have liked some of the poems to have more description of the appearance or behavior of the dogs.

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This was a lot of fun and a very quick read! As a massive dog lover, I loved reading these short, fun poems about the different dog breeds, especially as the poems were from the dogs perspective. One thing I have to say is I would have loved for each poem to have had an illustration alongside it of each dog breed (especially as some of the dog breeds are ones I've not heard of). That's just a me thing though so that has not affected my enjoyment at all.

I feel like this would be a really fun book to purchase as a gift for any dog lover in your life!

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What A Wag! - Jill Rowe

To be honest I downloaded this book thinking it was something other than it was but I read straight through and thoroughly enjoyed it. This is a cute, funny and in part informative collection of short dog-themed poems.

I come from a family who have owned many breeds of dogs and these poems are cleverly written in the way they describe them. I also learnt a few things about some of the breeds I myself have owned too. I miss having a dog, I personally think a house is not a home without one. 🐾

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What a Wag by Gill Rowe is a delightful set of poems all about dogs!

There are poems about many dog breeds in this book, making it perfect for poetry lovers and animal advocates everywhere. It's a unique set of poems that really made me love this book: there's something in it for every dog lover. Each poem introduces you to the individual dog breeds in it's own special way: descriptions, explanations and sometimes pictures. I think it's a great reference tool and just a fun read for those who love dogs or want to learn more about them through poetry.

I was sad they were missing Boxers (my favourite breed), Dachshunds, and Dalmations, but I guess I can settle for the many, many, many other dog breeds in the book.

Overall, this collection is wonderful and I highly recommend it!

Three out of five stars.


Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

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What a wag by Gill Rowe

I picked this book by its cover not noticing it was a book of poems all about dogs in alphabetical order.I normally don’t read poetry but really enjoyed the poems which gave the history of how the dogs got their names and what they’re best known for.The illustrations were simple but well drawn and cute.The author writes with a wit and ease that shows her love of dogs.
I received this Ebook ARC from @Netgalley

Http://www.Instagram.com/reading under_my_desk

Http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/17545691-Lucy-Stewart

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Thank you to NetGalley, Gill Rowe and The Book Guild for an eARC copy of this cute little poetry collection about different dog breeds.

There are some real gems in this little collection of poems, and you can't help but smile at the little personalities Rowe has given each of the characters of the dogs she has written about poem to poem.

Some felt a little rushed and didn't meet the standard of some of the other better poems in this collection to me. But it's a good fun little read that you can dip in and out of at your leisure. A great read for those that love both poetry and four legged furry creatures.

3 stars from me, woof.

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Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
This poetry collection had me grinning from ear to ear. For a dog lover, there’s certainly a lot to take enjoyment out of here. Although I have to admit that if you’re not a dog lover, I’m not sure what you are going to get out of this. It isn’t super fancy language or trying to impress you with emotive imagery. This is designed to entertain and to a certain extent educate dog lovers, who can take great pleasure in hunting out our favourite breed and nod along in recognition of the familiar character traits that particular breed has.
I have been a Veterinary Nurse for 18 years so you would think I’d seen it all (I’ve certainly seen some sights in my time as a Vet nurse believe me!). However, I’ve definitely never come across a xolocuintal before so this poetry collection has certainly had an educational side to it for me.
I particularly liked that poems to some cross breed dogs were included- they are by far the biggest percentage of dogs that we see in practice and often get overlooked. I also liked the postscript which I think will speak to many at this particular time (covid-19) about the importance of dogs in our lives and the friendship and comfort they can give us. Thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend to other dog lovers out there.
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3,5 🌟
This was such a delightful little book of poems. I particularly loved the poem about the Maltese, as my dog was one. But I actually really liked every poem, as it showed the uniqueness of each dog. This poetry book really warmed my heart.

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thank you net galley and the book guild for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. this book was so cute. the premise of this book is a-z poems about dogs. i actually learned a lot that i didn’t know. there were many dog breeds i never actually heard of. i flew through it. the drawings added a lot to the book and i wish there were more. the poetry was just okay. some poems were better than others. i recommend this for any dog lovers out there:)

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This book was certainly cute, and I think it would be a great gift for a dog lover! Old Possom's book of practical cats - but for dogs!!

The poems were quite educational, came as a surprise. I learnt a lot about the breeds and the history of each of the breeds.
The poems themselves though weren't great. It felt very young. Plus the illustrations were pretty naff!

Sweet book, great for dog lovers. Not so great for poem-lovers!

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