Have you ever won­dered why dogs have wet noses? This sto­ry answers that ques­tion in this whim­si­cal re-imag­ined ver­sion of Noah’s Ark. The sto­ry loose­ly fol­lows the tra­di­tion­al tale as it starts to rain end­less buck­ets of water. Noah decides to build a ​“lifeboat” and save his fam­i­ly along with all the ani­mals he invites aboard. When the ark springs a leak, Noah search­es for some­thing to plug the hole. That’s where his loy­al dog steps in. Noah shoves the hound’s nose into the hole and voila — it’s a per­fect fit! It’s good for every­one on the ark, except for the poor hound, who spends the rest of the voy­age with his nose stuck in the hole. Nev­er fear, Noah remem­bers to save the dog in the end!

The text is only half the sto­ry here as Oyvind Torseter has done an incred­i­ble job illus­trat­ing this tale. Chil­dren will love all the com­i­cal details he’s added in each illus­tra­tion. From the tat­too on Noah’s arm (look care­ful­ly; I missed it the first time) to the ani­mals arriv­ing at the ark with back­packs, purs­es and even what looks like a cell phone, to a yogurt-eat­ing alli­ga­tor, each page is filled with quirky pic­tures. It’s a sto­ry kids will want read over and over, just so they can find more fun­ny things with each pass. Par­ents beware: you just might find your­self sneak­ing anoth­er look once your chil­dren are asleep! Why Dogs Have Wet Noses is a pic­ture book every­one will enjoy!

Rec­om­mend­ed for ages 3 – 8.