The Longest Letsgoboy

This book is absolutely breathtaking and I cry every time I read it.

The illustrations are gorgeous, and I find it so soothing to think about my dead dogs being in a version of heaven as beautiful as the one that Catia Chien has illustrated. My favorite part of this book is how it is narrated by the old and dying dog himself, and when he finally dies and becomes part of the sky––his sweet face continues to look down on his beloved small human (“Little”) and her new puppy.

All the pets we love are always part of us… show more.

One might assume that nonsense words are inherently bound to the realms of wackiness and humor. Not so. Here is a book that is poignant, tender, sincere, and full of heart. An old faithful dog nears his final hours with his young owner and narrates the sights and sounds of his last day from his own perspective using his own unique words for things. Trees are tallsticks, memories are waybacks, and the child is his foreverfriend. The illustrations are soft, warm, and full of color. The pictures serve to ground and comfort, contrasting (and therefore balancing) the unusual words we… show more.

The loveliest and most resonant book on the loss of a pet ever. It tells the story of a last walk (“the last letsgoboy”) in an old dog’s own sweet, earthy, love-suffused voice. Deeply aware that this is his last day, the old dog puts all of his love and earned wisdom into saying goodbye to the earth (I wuffwuff farewell to tweeters, branchjumpers and fuzzhoppers) but mostly to Little, his foreverfriend. In addition to being a beautiful book about a pet and owner, it is also a touching tribute to a life well-lived, full of caring… show more.