Willie the Worrying Dog

Willie the Worrying Dog is a delightful book that made my heart so happy when reading it. The cover illustrates the adorable main character, Willie, a brown and white dog smiling on a lawn of green grass. It is an inviting picture that I think will capture the attention of most young children. The book is written in simple, rhyming two and four line prose. The story is one that children of all ages will enjoy.

Willie’s owner tells him they are going to the park one day. Willie is excited, however, during the drive he realizes that they are driving much longer than their usual trips to the park. Willie is somewhat of a worrywart and starts thinking about all the horrible things that can happen if they go to a new park. What if the other dogs laugh at him? What if there are too many trees and bears? What if it floods?

Children who have anxiety about new things will especially benefit from this book because it shows that many times, when we worry, those worries are dispelled when we see what is truly out there. Sometimes, we are scared of what we don’t know.

The book’s rhyming prose is delivered in short, simple sentences, making it easy to follow and understand. I found myself wanting to hug Willie and tell him not to worry. The illustrations are colorful and do an excellent job of showing Willie’s emotions as he thinks about the scary things out there. I especially liked the part where he planned to play dead so they didn’t have to visit the new park. He’s just so cute!

Of course, when Willie and his owner get to the park, it’s nothing like Willie imagined. He meets two dogs, Sadie and Rex, who introduce themselves and ask if he wants to play. Willie’s worries soon go away, and even though it starts raining, he has two friends to weather the storm in, making the rain not so scary.

Willie the Worrying Dog is masterfully written and illustrated for children. I recommend it mainly to ages two through eight, although older children would probably enjoy reading it to their younger siblings. I hope this book becomes a children’s series as it is one of the best children’s books I’ve read in a long time. There should be a copy in every library and school.