Please Take Me for a Walk

by Susan Gal

Please Take Me for a Walk is a celebration of dogs and kids and community.   The book stars a very persuasive pup pleading with his best friend—the reader!—to take him for a walk. He recounts all the fun things they can see and chase squirrels in the yard, greet neighbors on their block, visit the shopkeepers downtown, swing by the schoolyard, and then run and play in the park. The dog run at the park is filled with all kinds of amazing purebreds and mutts, and our puppy wants them all to see "my best friend and me."   Susan Gal uses this story of a dog's best walk ever to catalog all the favorite places in a child's world. She starts in the house and the yard, then widens her scope to the block, the neighborhood, downtown, and the park. And she captures the magical way the people of a community can be brought together through their pets.   The dog's enthusiastic voice and eagerness to go out walking will resonate with any dog owner. And Susan Gal's artwork is so enticing and adorable it will have even confirmed cat lovers heading for the pound!   Happy walking, everyone!

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Storytime, Animals, Childrens, Fiction, Friendship

40 pages, Hardcover

First published May 11, 2010

About the author

Susan completed her BFA at Art Center College of Design and began her illustration career as a poster and calendar artist in Los Angeles. Her love of drawing lively characters earned her an internship with Walt Disney Feature Animation and she became a member of the original animation team at the Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida. But the lure of the silver screen was not to last. Susan returned to her native California to continue her passion of creating whimsical illustrations and captivating picture books.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this one was adorable. I did. If you are a dog lover, I think you may enjoy this one too! It's playful. It's cute. It's charming. It's got character.

Here's how it starts,

Please take me for a walk.
I need to chase away the neighbors' cat,
send the birds back to their nests,
and keep the squirrels high up in the trees.
Please take me for a walk.

Through the book, this oh-so-adorable dog is pleading, begging for a nice walk. Giving readers reason after reason after reason why this walk would be oh-so-wonderful.

The ending is oh-so-right too!

Both illustrations and text are too cute to be missed...if you love dogs!

[Michelle Adamo #EmptyNestReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable dog wants to go for a walk. The beautiful illustrations show what types of things the dog wants to do if he can be taken on his walk. He'll enjoy the weather, meet new dogs, meet other animals and meet new people. Outside he can soak up the sun and he can play and run.
Adorable illustrations, characters (human) are very diverse. Ages 3-7 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Recommended.

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[Ina · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG the little puppy who narrates the story is too cute for words. The puppy wants a walk and does all sorts of cute things to convince the reader to take him. He talks about all of the people they would meet on a walk, neighbors, other dogs, and storeowners along the route - including his favorite, the local butcher. There would be so many things to see and do - it is impossible to resist this charming request. The illustrations are absolutely amazingly awesome.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please Take Me for a Walk
by Susan Gal
Read to a kindergarten class, used to describe character , events in the book. The kids loved this story that is repeatedly read over the week to the kids. They respond to the story, the dog, and how they are related to the story. The final day of the reading they used words and pictures to explain the character of the dog, and their favorite part of the book.

[BiblioBeruthiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect for my dog themed storytime - I wish I had found this book a couple of weeks ago!! Will definitely save this for a future storytime option though. I just love the art and this pup is adorable. A sweet ending and not too long!

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

5* art
3* story

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very sweet book about a dog wanting to go for a walk. He is asking the reader to take him out so he can do all kinds of exciting things. The dog is so sweet.

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE THIS! It's simple and endearing, because our 4 legged friend just wants to go on a walk! Read this like YOU are the dog begging and telling why you want to go on the walk. Kids love it.

[Ginny Daniels · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story idea with repetitive text, “Please take me for a walk.” Nice diversity in the book.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect book for young dog lovers and the young at heart ;) Adorable little dog.

[Villain E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what's promised on the cover: just an adorable dog who wants to be taken for a walk.

[Katelynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with this book about a dog who wants to go on a walk through an engaging, diverse, beautifully illustrated community.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A dog gives all the reasons why her owner should take her on a walk.

[Bookworm4Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! It reminded me of when I take my dog for a walk

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 3 out of 5]

In bright fun illustrations, a happy-go-lucky dog narrates the list of reasons his owner should take him for a walk through the busy neighborhood.

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 5 out of 5]

super cute

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet! A dog-themed library storytime pick.

[Dana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story about a dog who wants to go for a walk. Would be fun to read in story time.

[Lynn Schlatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was tough for me to choose a rating for this one. It's not the prettiest, cleverest, or funniest picture book of all time, but it covers some of my favorite topics (dogs, community, asking for things politely with reasoned arguments to back up your request) and is done in the collage art style that I've become increasingly fond of over the years. Bonus points if you can identify what the "Reading Tonite" is at the bookseller's just by the picture.

[Anne Beier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Take Me for a Walk
Author –Gal, Susan, Name Illustrator – Gal, Susan
Ages Pre-S-K
*****
An adorable, endearing white dog asks her owner to take her for a walk. She shares many reasons to readers; “I want to say hello to the florist, the greengrocer, the baker, the bookseller,” as they explore the neighborhood. She heals and offers her paw to people they pass on the way to the park, and rolls on her back asking for a belly rub. Her facial expressions, especially her eyes, engage readers and help to build her personality. Several vignettes of activities a dog and a child or caregiver would enjoy are divided by the refrain, “Please take me for a walk,” creating a simple read-a-loud for toddlers through kindergartners, or an early reader to enjoy on their own. There is one short sentence to a page. Clever text has our pup using much sensory detail that the intended audience will relate to and is age appropriate; tasting a bone, feeling the wind, observing birds, squirrels, and children playing. Gal’s lively illustrations made with charcoal on paper and digital collage are full of energy. Multicultural characters are included. Full color bleeds, and perspective are used to underscore the text. Children will enjoy pouring over details in the collages which include a variety of other dogs and explode with color and action, including the endpapers. Our charming pup concludes her tale of romping, humor and adventure in a heartfelt way that only a dog can. This title will be a hit in classrooms, libraries and at home.
A winner.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

PLEASE TAKE ME FOR A WALK
Review
-------------------------

"Kid-level"
-Young kids, roughly 1-4

Interest To
-Animal lovers
-Kids with pets

Drawbacks
-Repetition of "Please take me for a walk" (which some kids will mind and others will not).
-City-setting: Some kids will not relate to the city-setting or to terms like "greengrocer."

Storyline
-A dog wants you, the reader, to take it for a walk! And here's why...

Strong-Points
-Cute and detailed illustrations that permit reader/story interaction.
-Most kids like dogs, so they will likely enjoy reading about what dogs do on walks.

Timing
-There is no rhyme or cadence save for the aforementioned repetitive phrase.

Organization
-The story is easy to follow, clear, and linear.

Realism
-The story is based in reality and contains no anthropomorphism or magical characters.
-Children who live in cities will especially connect with this story.

Yawns
-None for me, but older kids might not like the repetitive phrase of "please take me for a walk."

So why only two stars? While the story is cute (and lacks anthropomorphism, which is generally a huge plus in my book and generally adds a whole star alone), the book really has no lesson or point. However, it is still useful as a starter for lessons or for teaching about dog walking.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

One look into the begging eyes of this white and black puppy, and you will eagerly agree to take him for a walk. The puppy explains throughout the book why he needs to go for a walk. There are cats to chase, birds to bark at, squirrels to keep in the trees. There are people to greet, games to watch, and games to play. Best of all, there are other dogs to meet too!

This is a simple book with a simple premise, which is a large part of its appeal. Gal uses only a handful of words per page, stretching sentences over the course of several pages to show just what the dog has in mind for his walk. This means lots of pictures for the number of words, making it very toddler friendly.

It is Gal’s art that really elevates the title. As you can see from the cover art, the dog is a winning character with shining eyes, plenty of energy, and lots of friends. Done in charcoal on paper and digital collage, Gal’s art ranges from simple close-ups of the dog on a plain background to busy city streets with dogs and people coming and going.

Get ready to go on a merry walk with this dog tale, which will fit easily into a toddler storytime about pets or dogs. Appropriate for ages 2-5.

[Liliana Escamilla]

This is a fun book that is told from the dog's perspective asking it's owner to take it for a walk. It shares all the things that can be done or seen while they go on a walk.

Teaching children about persuasion is important and using this dog as an example is an awesome example! It teaches children literacy skills and about caring for a dog and all that it needs.

Have the children write a persuasion paper on taking a dog on a walk and much like this dog, write about all the things that they will see through THEIR neighborhood.

[Melissa Dwyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally rated G by Amanda Perini
The illustrations are detailed and rich, but are a small size making it difficult to read to large groups. The text is large and bold, making it easy for young readers to identify words. The story follows all the things a dog living in a city could do on a walk, making this book easy to relate to for city dwelling students. The book would be useful for teaching about the community, going for a walk, verbs, and is simply enjoyable. Buy this book if you have any room.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has definite toddler potential. Sweet ending. I like the pictures.

9/14/10 & 9/16/10 This worked well. The kids were involved, but it wasn't a highly "wow" book. I'm glad I had it first and saved my fun stuff for later in the program. But it was a great introduction to the dog theme.

9/28/10 With the 3 unresponsive toddlers, this book bombed. (9/30/10 was a no-show)

[Bobbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely cute little book about a puppy pleading for a walk and talking about all the things he wants to go out and do. I got my 7-year-old nephew to read it to my puppy as her bedtime story (telling him she'd like a bedtime story is a good way to get him to practice his reading, and she does seem to enjoy it).

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming picture book of a dog trying to convince her/his owner to take her/him for a walk. The title is a repeated refrain throughout the story.

The children at story time were quite entranced. One little girl commented that "Dogs can't talk." Another kept sadly saying "I don't have a dog." 8/1/12

Went over fairly well, this time, even with a younger crowd.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short, entertaining tale told from the perspective of a cute white dog. The narrative has a sentence (or only part of a sentence) on each page and the illustrations are big and colorful, really helping to tell the story. We enjoyed reading this book together, even if the book is more appropriate for younger children.

[Shelby Dains · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very repetitive book, it says the same things over and over again but at the same time I think that might be a good thing for some readers because they would know exactly what some parts of the sentence says. Also it's a pretty cute theme sticking with taking the dog for a walk. The illustrations were really nice and eye catching.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really cute. I liked how it showed that when you have a dog you have to take him on walks so he could see and do all these other things. I like how it wasn't overwhelming. I think kindergarten age kids would love this book. It's so fun. After we read the book you could have the kids talk about the pets that they have at home.