Walter the Farting Dog by William Kotzwinkle: Book Review

Title: Walter the Farting Dog
Author: William Kotzwinkle, Glenn Murray
Illustrator: Audrey Colman
Series: Walter the Farting Dog #1
Genre: Picture Book, Humor, Banned Books, Animals
Audience: Children
Format: E-book

My Synopsis:

Little Betty and Billy choose Walter and bring him home from the animal shelter. Mom makes them give Walter a bath because he smells so bad. But they quickly realize that the problem is deeper than that: Walter is a farting dog.

Billy and Betty don’t mind but their parents can’t take it. They try to fix the problem with visits to the vet and changes in food but Walter just can’t stop. Dad finally threatens to return Walter to the shelter if he doesn’t stop farting. But it turns out there may be unexpected benefits to having a farting dog!

My Review:

I’ve read this before, years ago, but it still makes me giggle. Poor Walter and his tummy trouble! The illustrations make me laugh too. Walter is perpetually surrounded by a green fog of gas. And the poor vet examining his rear end! I’m chuckling just thinking about it.

This is a cute story sure to please readers who think a farting dog is funny. Parents who want to discuss a little deeper can mention that we have to love people (and dogs) as they are. We all have intrinsic value.

Banned:

Walter the Farting Dog is on the American Library Association’s list of frequently-challenged children’s books. One parent “took offense at the story’s use of the words ‘fart’ and ‘farting’ 24 times. ‘The graphics in this thing kind of make you sick, too,” according to Central Penn Parent.

One more time for the back row: you can screen your child’s books for any content you personally dislike. And this content is loud and proud on the cover for all the world to see! Honestly, my parents didn’t like my sister and I saying “fart” when we were very young so they probably would have nixed good ol’ Walter if we’d tried to bring this book home from the library. Which is funny because we all have outrageous senses of potty humor to this day! But the point is that you can absolutely control what your kids read; you don’t get to dictate what other kids read.

Similar Books:

If you liked Walter the Farting Dog, you might also like my reviews of

• A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Marlon Bundo and Jill Twiss
• This Day in June by Gayle E. Pitman
• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell

Purchase:

Buy Walter the Farting Dog from Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, NC.

I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop’s Bookstore/Cafe in beautiful Asheville, NC. I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you if you purchase merchandise through links on my site.