Review - My Pillow Keeps Moving!

My Pillow Keeps Moving!
by Laura Gehl
illustrated by Christopher Weyant
Date: 2018
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A lonely man tries to buy a pillow... and ends up with a new best friend in this silly and sweet doggy tale, perfect for fans of Officer Buckle and Gloria.

Dogs make good pillows, don't they?

A clever pup ends up in a cozy home, and she'll do anything to stay there. She impersonates everything the lonely homeowner needs--a pillow, a footstool, a jacket. But in the end, being herself works best. Laura Gehl's spare, humorous text and New Yorker cartoonist Christopher Weyant's expressive characters will leave young readers giggling and begging for more.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This surprisingly funny book is a treat to read. The story starts out with a dog and a cat watching a man go into a pillow store. The dog steals inside, and the man buys the dog, thinking it's a pillow. Of course, the dog keeps moving, so the man returns the dog, saying, "I bought a pillow here and I think it is broken." As he's interacting with the clerk, the dog leaves the store... so it can be ready and waiting at the footstool store when the man goes in there next.

The clerk in each store seems to be a variation on the same man, which is kind of amusing since each one is wearing a badge that declares him EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH. (Is he even able to keep a job?!) The structure of the story proceeds in a steady fashion, and once you see the first iteration, you can guess at the rest. Eventually, though, the man gives up on his shopping excursions and just accepts that the dog is a dog--not a pillow, a footstool, or a jacket. But the story isn't over yet. Remember the cat...?

The illustrations are simple but effective. Weyant's experience as a cartoonist is evident. The pictures work with the story.

All in all, I quite enjoyed this one. It will probably keep kids anticipating what will come next, as well as laughing at the absurdities of the dog's attempts to impersonate different objects.

Quotable moment:

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 4/5

Overall: 3.67 out of 5