Waggers

by Philemon Sturges, Jim Ishikawa (Illustrations)

The mystery of why dogs love to chase one another's tails is revealed in this amusing canine tale with bold illustrations about a lovable dog and his collection of funny puppy playmates.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2005

About the author

Philemon Fowler Sturges III was an architect and author based in Rhode Island. He trained at Princeton University. He wrote children's books from 1995 until his death in 2005.

Reviews

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bookaday #12. Rhyming text tells a charming tale about why dogs sniff each other’s tails. Love the whimsical illustrations!

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll never take a walk with my dog the same way again. This was a lyrical story about how dogs wanted to get rid of cats but when a cat infiltrated the dog meeting, she screamed fire and the dogs took off with each others tails so now when dogs pass (the reason actually) that they can't pass each other without sniffing or seeing each other is to check whether the other dog has their wagger.

So ingenious.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My four-year-old son picked this book out from the library this week.

I really liked the first two pages of this book, and then less and less with each page turn. This is a story told in rhyme. The first two pages are fine, then the meter goes a bit haywire and the word choice starts to feel forced. If I took out the rhyming, I might like the story more, but not much more. There is a funny ending, though.

[Leona]

How dogs came sniff each other--to find their original waggers!

[Zanéa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute rhyming story about Dogs and their methods of introduction!

[Peony · Rating 3 out of 5]

humor, fantasy, verse, cartoon

4-8

[Rusty Gregory · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun interpretation to this story.

[Breanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a weird idea; explaining why dogs sniff each other's butts. But I must admit, I think of this book each time I see a dog interaction.

Maybe to confusing for younger kids.