Whimsy and Loss in Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann

Confession. I am not a lover of dogs. I accept that humans have domesticated them for eons, but I’m not a fan of slobber and the wagging tail holds few charms for me.

Even so, Bone Dog by Eric Rohmann is one dog picture book that I found purely enchanting. It begins with Ella and Gus, who have been friends for a long, long time. Ella’s gently anthropomorphized. She speaks to Gus and tells him in the kindest, most matter-of-fact way, that she won’t be around much longer, promising, however, that she’ll “always be with you.” It’s nothing less than the paradox of memory that refuses to let the beloved die.

So here he is, poor Gus. Despite putting on a brave face, he’s lonely—and he’s loneliest of all on Halloween.

Text and illustration create a perfect blend of whimsy and spookiness. Halloween shivers are balanced by a marvelous dance of skeletons with a penchant for wordplay, the support of a band of neighborhood dogs willing to howl along, and the loving presence of Ella herself.

Sweetness without a trace of sticky sentimentality, and that’s hard to find in a book about grief and healing. Compare to The Longest Letsgoboy by Derick Wilder, illustrated by Cátia Chien.