Review by Cath Ayres
Tundra Books, April 2024
48 pages, Hardcover, $24.99 CAD, 9780735265967
Picture book, ages 3-7
Fiction, Comedy/Humour
He appeared to have furry ears that flapped and fluttered in the wind. And a fuzzy snout that could probably sniff Weasel from a mile away! Could it be that Roy was… A DOG?
This charming collaboration between Esmé Shapiro and her husband Daniel Kaufman spawned from a conversation between the two on a train journey eight years ago. The image of a dog frying an egg has now become a charming tale of an intrepid sleuth on a bicycle and an enigmatic neighbour in a top hat and trench coat.
Weasel, a young paperboy and aspiring detective, knows almost everything there is to know about his neighbours on Lilypod Lane. All except for the mysterious Roy, whose house is decorated with an archway made of bones and hedges shaped suspiciously like fire hydrants. Weasel suspects his neighbour might not be human, but nobody else seems to believe him. Weasel’s best friend, the bossy and bespectacled Pam Pam, is particularly sceptical. She insists that just because Roy has floppy ears, collects bones and barks, it does not mean that he is a dog. Determined to prove his sleuthing skills are as sharp as his Sherlock Holmes hat, Weasel comes up with a cunning plan to reveal Roy’s true identity. I won’t spoil the ending here, but be warned, it’s not quite what you’d expect!
Visually, Shapiro’s whimsical watercolour and gouache illustrations pair perfectly with this earnest tale of espionage. A 1970s-esque colour palette of warm browns, dusky greens, and pops of mustard yellow evokes a certain sense of nostalgia. Mid-century modern homes are set against lush backdrops of flowering cacti and overgrown gardens, while the characters’ costumes are a riot of clashing patterns and plaids. Intricate linework, a signature of Shapiro’s illustrations, conveys a sense of movement across the pages, from Weasel’s wiry hair to the wisps of smoke flowing from Roy’s chimney. Of course, fun visual clues pointing towards Roy’s true identity are scattered throughout the text, however it is the sly allusions to other characters that I most enjoyed. Creatively canine-themed names like Croque Dogot the famous chef, Stromboli Pooch the opera singer and archaeologist Profiterole Mutt Jones are all deserving of their own spinoff stories.
Shapiro and Kaufman’s love of language shines through in the prose, with lots of alliteration and assonance on each page that rolls off the tongue as you read aloud. The main characters are delightfully verbose – precocious Pam Pam insists that Weasel’s “evidence is faulty”, while Weasel is convinced that “a dog living on its own must be quite a dog.” And, I stand by the fact that not enough picture books feature words such as “indubitably” and “sophisticated”!
This story is a delight from its humble beginning to the hilarious twist at the end. Roy is not a Dog simply begs to be re-read again and again. Perfect for dog lovers, language lovers and young detectives.
Cath completed their B.Ed and M.Ed in Australia, and worked as a teacher for several years before moving to Vancouver to study a Master of Arts in Children’s Literature. Cath is a big fan of beautiful illustrations, rich language, and authentic queer representation.
YOUNG ADULTING 