STARRED REVIEW: Angus is Here

Details

Author: Hadley Dyer
Illustrator: Paul Covello
Publisher: Annick Press
Expected Date of Publication: July 2023

Review

In this story about grief, an unnamed child main character (MC) proclaims on the first page, “Angus is here. Angus is our dog.” The dog, however, is noticeably absent. The MC looks for Angus everywhere and tries to coax the dog out of hiding, while sister Molly accuses the MC of “being weird.” The MC’s parents gently remind them what death means, and suggest they take Angus’ old things to a family member with a new puppy. This sparks grief in Molly who finally drops her stoic outer shell. Together, they try to figure out a way to keep Angus from fading away.

This book takes a relatable problem (the loss of a dog) and explores quiet grief and the idea of suffering in silence. The illustrations mirror the text, presenting everything softly in muted tones with only Angus’ belongings presented in sharp green. We’re left with a sense that if those bright green objects were no longer present, much of the colour in this world would be stripped away.

Though a little long, the story keeps pulling the reader back in through heart-wrenching scenes we are never quite prepared for. Between the MC demanding for Angus to “come” and Molly suddenly appearing in tears, we are reminded that grief hits us in waves.

The characters in this story all present white, cis, straight, and able-bodied, though these characteristics are not explicitly stated.

A must-have addition to school and library shelves.

Reviewed digitally via NetGalley.