Dog Gone by: Leeza Hernandez

Each and every night I read a stack of picture books to my two-year old daughter when I put her to bed. For the longest time we have had two mainstays, Pouch! by David Ezra Stein and My Dad is the Best Playground by Luciana Navarro Powell. These mainstays are books that we read without fail each night. I try to throw in a couple of other books to mix it up, but we always read those books. Sometimes I try to walk out of the room without reading one of them. That doesn’t go well. As I begin to walk down the stairs, I hear her yelling, “Pouch! Playground! DADDY, wait!”

About five weeks ago a third book was added to our nightly routine: Dog Gone by Leeza Hernandez. Dog Gone started as one of the books I mix in, and it quickly became a mainstay. This beautifully plotted book, written with rhyme, has become a favorite for the littlest and biggest Sharp. My favorite part of reading Dog Gone is at the end when the puppy and boy and embrace. Each time I read that page my daughter and I lock eyes and say, “awwww…”

I hope other readers out there are able to enjoy and appreciate this book as much as my family.