Dog's First Baby

I am a children's librarian who presents Baby Storytime weekly so I am always on the look-out for new board books. This book is so cute! I like the simple text, which is crucial for a board book. The art is colorful and fun, which is appropriate for older babies and young toddlers. I liked that it was from the point of view of the dog. This would make a great read-aloud for storytime or one-on-one sharing.

Dog’s first baby is an endearing and hilarious book. We have many children in out program welcoming baby siblings into their families recently and this book is a great addition to any curriculum to support our children deal with the emotional changes that having a baby in the family brings.

This book is a great conversation starter and hilariously accurate. I remember when we got our puppy how the first six months of their life is basically caring for an infant in flash forward! Of course, it makes sense that a dog will be confused trying to figure out a human baby!

I cannot wait to add this to our library!


Disclaimer: I first read it as an ARC. In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to Natalie Nelson,
Quirk Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of Dog's First Baby.
#DogsFirstBaby #NetGalley

What a fantastic little book! I love books told from a different perspective, in this case it’s the dog! The art work is charming and the story is simple and fun!

This is a really adorable book that is perfect for babies, toddlers, and early preschoolers. It has lots of sweet and funny moments with bold illustrations, while encouraging children to think about similarities and differences. My personal favorite is when the dog says "You think I am a horse. I am not." :) It could also be a great jumping off point to talk about being gentle and how we engage with our pets when children are ready.

This sweet board book will certainly be relatable to kids who meet their brand new sibling for the very first time. Sometimes that joyous occasion isn't so joyous especially if you are the family pet. Dog has to check things out for himself to find out if this strange wiggly bundle is another dog or just what it is.

Written from the dog's perspective kids will be giggling when Dog sniffs out the baby, discovers the babies front paws aren't like his back paws, and has no tail! They do have some things in common like getting sleepy now and then, enjoying a walk, a stroll, and my favourite... both can howl, just to name a few. As they hang out together and enjoy many adventures a bond forms between the two and dog and baby become fast friends.

The illustrations are bold, colourful, full of humour and greatly enrich the text. Little ones will love to have the story read to them again and again, guaranteed! I highly recommend this book. I can't wait for "Cat's First Baby" coming in 2022.

The illustrations and the colour palette in this adorable book are excellent. Any home with a baby and a dog would devour this is no time to be reread a hundred times.

Dog's First Baby
A Board Book
by Natalie Nelson

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley and Quirk Books in exchange for an honest review.

I read this book with my 4 year old who especially enjoyed it because he has a baby cousin who crawls around much like the baby in the book. The book is read from the dogs point of view as he tries to figure out what this baby is after some comparisons between himself and the baby which my son found giggle worthy the dog determined that whatever the baby was he liked it. We enjoyed the engaging colors and illustrations. Board books that can pull a laugh are the ones that get read over and over as I’m sure this one will. This will be a great book for libraries as well. 5/5