Written for anyone who has known the touch of a cold nose on their hand, the bark of a best friend, or the joy of a walk accompanied by a wagging tail, All Dogs Are Good pays tribute to the special bond we share with our canine companions.
Filled with heartfelt poems and prose on the love, dedication, and laughter our dogs bring, as well as the unique lessons they teach us along the way, bestselling author Courtney Peppernell’s vignettes of life with our dogs are a touching reminder of the gifts they give us during their journey on earth.
Celebrating dogs everywhere, All Dogs Are Good is a collection dog lovers will hold in their hearts forever. This is a special exclusive edition and contains additional content and a letter to the reader from Courtney.
Courtney Peppernell is an acclaimed best-selling author from Australia, celebrated for her inspirational poetry collections, including the beloved Pillow Thoughts series, Watering the Soul, I Hope You Stay, Time Will Tell and more. With over two million sales worldwide, she continues to lead the forefront of today’s poetry genre. Courtney spends her days writing and working on many projects with her beloved dogs and chickens in tow. She hopes to continue exploring expression and the art of healing through stories, novels and poetry for years to come. Stay tuned for the latest releases from Courtney and her team!
4.5 ⭐️ “To all the dogs that were, are, and will be— you are all good, every single one.”
I’m embarrassed at how many times I cried while reading this book. This collection of poems was so heartwarming. I loved the balance of warmth, laughter, and sadness. Courtney Peppernell has a mixture of funny poems, heartfelt poems, emotional poems, and poems discussing life lessons that dogs have taught us. There are also so many adorable drawings throughout this book. I thought it was so creative how most of the poems were told from a dog’s perspective. I definitely recommend this for all the dog lovers out there. Don’t read this in one sitting (which is what I did) unless you want to absolutely bawl your eyes out.
“There is no need for pretending, for all that I am and all I will ever be, is to exist in this life so that I can be here for you, and you can be here for me.” <3
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.
All Dogs Are Good is a beautiful, heartfelt tribute book to dogs and their owners. Told through poetry and prose, this book retells the life, memories and personalities of dogs of all breeds, sizes and ages. This book made me fill up with tears a few times as I read it, bringing memories of my own beloved dogs come racing back. I loved how some of these poems were told from the dogs view point too! So unique! Courtney Peppernell has a beautiful way of creating her poetry and each book I've read so far I have fallen in live with. This book has some adorable illustrations dotted through it and is definitely a book to read if you love dogs or have had a dog!
Reading this poetry collection was such a pleasant experience. It's just beyond adorable and I loved the theme of dogs and the importance they have in our lives, especially the most ordinary everyday moments. I've always wanted to have a dog so this was a perfect fit to my reading mood at any time.
I like that Courtney used inspiration from her dogs, Hero and Dakota, and wrote pieces inspired by them, among with many other dogs that found their place in this collection of poetry and prose. It was a joy to read and I think I appreciate our four-legged friends even more now. Besides, the illustrations in the book are adorable.
Overall, a pleasant read, and such a departure from Courtney's previous collections. I can't wait to read something by her and I feel like this topic really suited her writing style.
Thanks to the Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 This modern dog lovers' collection has some moments and lines that hit so, so perfectly and beautifully capture what it is to love and lose a beloved doggo, but too often the rhymes felt forced and unnecessary.
The foreword alone gave me the warm fuzzies, and I was pleasantly surprised by the illustrations since I didn't expect any.
I remember liking the Pillow Thoughs I read last year, and the author didn't disappoint with this collection of poetry and memories all around dogs. I loved the images it created in my mind, and now would like to cuddle with a dog.
I will read further works by the same author if I can get my hands on them, and any dog poetry I can find. The arc was provided by the publisher.
“Sometimes when you reach out for a hand you get a paw instead”
I started my day reading this book with my senior dog by my side. Lots of cuddles happened but lots of tears as well. What a beautiful collection of poetry and short stories!
I loved the story about Oscar and the beagle on a leash and the Library dog.
This is a poetry book for dog lovers. Which I am. Which is why I teared up at times. Though it does capture the heart strings of a dog lover, unfortunately I don’t find it to be well written. I found the structure confusing. At times I couldn’t tell when one poem ended and another began. One star for writing. Extra star because I am a dog lover.
I honestly really enjoyed this poetry book; I was expecting it to hit a little harder, but there were still plenty of poems that had me tearing up or full on crying. A for sure must read for any dog lover and owner, but be warned that you’ll likely need a tissue or two when reading. This poetry book is filled with poems (and short stories which threw me off because I wasn’t expecting them) that any dog lover and/or owner will understand and appreciate and it just reinforces how special and loving dogs are and how they truly make even your worst days and years better. Even if you aren’t one for poetry, if you’ve ever had a dog in your life I highly recommend taking a peak at this one!
“A dog’s purpose is to find the deepest part of your heart, in which they will stay, just for the thought of walking beside you one more day.”
I could NOT put this book down no matter how many times I tried. Even though I was on the verge of tears I kept flipping through each page. Who knew that a collection of poems/memories about dogs would be so emotional. There were definitely some fun ones in here that made me smile and not necessarily sad but the ones that really touched my heart were just wow. I love how the author puts deeper meaning into life with dogs by bringing up lessons SHES learned from dogs such as appreciating the little things. The illustrations were so cute and made this book even more fun to read. I even found myself relating one specific dog story to my own dog. I loved reading this so much that I also tabbed my fave pages to go back and read more than once. I highly recommend this book to all dog lovers out there.
“There is nothing like cooking dinner with a dog at your heel”
God I miss my dog! She always used to lay right by the oven when we were making dinner and it’s never something that I thought I would have missed. Now that I have become the primary cook in my house I miss her more than ever.
Courtney is excellent at evoking emotions and making you feel like you are part of her stories. I cried at least 4 different times, I laughed out loud, and smiled from ear to ear remembering stories of dogs that I have known throughout my life. We are all so lucky to have dogs and this book is a lovely homage to all of the furry creatures that have been, are, and will be.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
This was such a sweet book, and to say I got a bit emotional at times reading this is an understatement. Often times - especially in poetry - I come across sentences that maybe the author thinks might sound pretty, but in actuality the words don't really mean anything to them. They're just empty words that may or may not rhyme. This book, however, is quite literally the opposite. This is real, and is made of years and lifetimes of feeling, and holds so much meaning to anyone who has ever cherished a dog.
I dont know why, but I wasn't expecting some of the poems to be from the dog's point of view, so I found that added element interesting. I did struggle at times with that writing style, but ultimately the different dogs that are described and whose stories are told so beautifully kept me reading. The descriptions are so vivid and wonderfully put, and the imagery is really nostalgic at times. I loved that. More than once did I read a page and see a loved family dog in my memory, and that's why I wanted to read this book, and why I would read it again.
If you're looking for a comforting poetry book that tells of different dogs and their own unique personalities, and then the things learned from each of them, read this.
This book made me sob uncontrollably being that I just lost my best friend of 17 years and her birthday is tomorrow. Every single person on earth should read this book who loves dogs. Not all of them are sad. Some happy, sad and make you look at life differently.
I didn't care for the writing style and I thought some of the poems overly idealized the dogs, but some of the stories are sweet and heartwarming for any dog lover.
"They have taught me to live in every moment and follow my heart (and my nose) to the things that bring me happiness."
I received an eARC copy of this book from Central Avenue Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This collection of poems and short stories is perfect for any dog lovers out there. The only reason I decided to pick up this book in the first place was because I knew that this was going to be something so heartfelt and adorable - and also because it had a dog on the cover and title, so I knew it was already going to be a great book.
It was such a short read, but it was very touching all throughout. Each poem or short story was either narrated from the dog's point of view, or the author's, and I personally enjoyed both POVs. I also enjoyed how it was a mix of different scenarios regarding dogs and their owners, and it featured cute stories about other dogs as well. There were definitely some poems and stories that were more heartbreaking and made me shed a couple of tears, but it still provided so much happiness and hope in every page.
Oh, and all the illustrations included were a huge bonus point, too!
This book made me want to cuddle all my dogs even more. It's something every dog lover should check out and read.
This book was so incredibly sweet and heart lifting. I loved the way Courtney Pepperneel brought bubbling life to the most simple and mundane activities with your dog. Even the sad poems about losing your furry friend were more uplifting then the other way. I’m excited to see what her other books have to offer, anyone out there that is a dog lover should pick this book up!
I laughed, I sobbed, I smiled like a fool, and I spent several poems leaning over to one or both of my dogs and saying "that's you."
Peppernell's poetry is heartfelt and beautifully written, and artfully structured; but most of all it made me Feel Things, and that's exactly what I was looking for from this.