Review - Smelly Louie

Smelly Louie
by Catherine Rayner
Date: 2014
Publisher: Macmillan
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: hardcover
Source: library

Louie the dog has just had a bath - and he is NOT happy about it. He smells all wrong. Determined to get his Special Smell back, he goes on a hunt for it and meets lots of smelly things along the way - a fox, some interesting dustbins and a marvellously muddy puddle to roll in. Will he succeed in getting his smell back? And, more importantly, will he be able to keep it this time ...? Catherine Rayner is the Greenaway Medal-winning creator of SOLOMON CROCODILE and ERNEST. SMELLY LOUIE is full of her trademark humour and richly textured artwork. This funny canine tale will be a sure-fire hit with children and adults alike.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This is a story about a dog who has a bath and ends up smelling like perfumed shampoo. He doesn't like it (I don't blame him), so he embarks on a quest to get back his own Special Smell. The rest of the story is just the dog rolling in various disgusting things and then returning home... to a rather predictable ending.

The cover seemed promising. There are touches of metallic gold (for some reason) that give the book a more whimsical feel. Unfortunately, I found the story to be too basic, and there was something about the pictures that just didn't work for me. It took me a while to figure out what it was. I think it's the fact that there really aren't any backgrounds. Louie and the other characters are just kind of floating there. This kind of non-setting can sometimes work, but I like it better when the background is white (and these backgrounds are not).

Kids who have dogs who like to roll in smelly things might enjoy this one, but there's not enough of a story to make this one have wide appeal.

Premise: 2/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 2.33 out of 5