A Dog Wearing Shoes
Written & Illustrated by Sangmi Ko
Schwartz & Wade Books    9/29/2015
978-0-385-38396-7
32 pages     Ages 4—8

A Junior Library Guild Selection
“When Mini finds a dog wearing bright yellow booties, she wants to keep him. And who wouldn’t?! But a dog with shoes on must belong to someone, right? [inside jacket]

Review
In the middle of a congested avenue sits a small, adorable, yellow shoe-wearing pup. Young Mini’s mom stops and the pup runs right over. He and Mini hit it off immediately and so they take the pup home. Once there, the pup no longer wants anyone or anything. He howls as if home sick. Mini tries to take him for a walk, but he pulls the opposite direction, until . . . the park.

The pup loves the park and is an instant hit, thanks to his yellow shoes and some tricks. Mini is very proud to have a dog like pup. She decides to have him fetch. Leash unhooked, Mini throws a stick. The pup runs after the stick, and runs, and runs, and . . . where did he go? All that is left is one yellow shoe, just like Cinderella.

A Dog Wearing Shoes will have the hearts of dog lovers everywhere. Not only is the dog super adorable, he oozes personality. Mini represents most kids who find a dog and instantly claim it for their own. Dogs are happy to be loved, but they know who they belong with. The dramatic howl is a great way to show the dog’s distress. After the dog runs off, Mini is heartsick. After finding the dog, sans one yellow shoe, Mini finds empathy for the actual owner and helps the dog find its real home.

I love that the shelter was brought into the story. Shelter dogs are dear to my heart. Anyone who wants a great dog should check out their local shelter. PSA aside, A Dog Wearing Shoes is a love story for all dog lovers out there. A prologue, of sorts, opens with giggle humor to set up the story.

The illustrations are in black and white with spattering’s of yellow and red. Yellow shoes, red leash, and yellow “dog found posters” accentuates the illustrations giving them a dramatic punch. You know the dog has found its true friend when the kid shows up in a yellow shirt. Then there are the huge, excited, eye bulging smiles. Did someone say a dog and its owner tend to look alike? Well, in this spread they do.

A Dog Wearing Shoes is a beautiful story, humorously told, with much heart, and a nice salute to local animal shelters. I instantly connected with A Dog Wearing Shoes because my mom would put yellow rain boots on our dog whenever he went out in the rain. It is hard to forget something as crazy as that. It is also hard to forget A Dog Wearing Shoes, based on a real dog story. A Dog Wearing Shoes is author/illustrator Sangmi Ko’s debut children’s book.

A DOG WEARING SHOES. Text and illustrations copyright © 2015 by Sangmi Ko. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Schwartz & Wade Books, New York, NY.

Purchase A Dog Wearing Shoes at Amazon—Book Depository—IndieBound Books—iTunes Books—Random House.

Find A Dog Wearing Shoes at Goodreads HERE.

Meet the author/illustrator, Sangmi Ko, at her website:  http://blog.naver.com/ko_sangmi
Facebook          Twitter          @kosanglove
Find more books at the Schwartz & Wade Books website:  http://www.randomhousekids.com/
Twitter          @schwartzwade           @randomhousekids
Schwartz & Wade Books is an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.

AWARDS
A Junior Library Guild Selection

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Copyright © 2015 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Full Disclosure: A Dog Wearing Shoes by Sangmi Ko, and received from Schwartz & Wade Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books), is in exchange NOT for a positive review, but for an HONEST review. The opinions expressed are my own and no one else’s. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

A DOG WEARING SHOES. Illustrations © 2015 by Sangmi Ko. Used by permission of Schwartz & Wade Books.

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