The Very Patient Gus Davis by Laurie Trumble Davis & Marjorie van Heerden

Who doesn’t love a French bulldog? With their compact size, sweet faces and affectionate natures, Frenchies are some of the cutest pups around!

Our hero Gus Davis is an adorable Frenchie whose best friend is his owner Bean. When she comes home from the store one day, Gus immediately sniffs out that she has cookies in her shopping. Bean tells him that he has to wait till after dinner, and tho Gus does his best, he just can’t help wanting to grab a quick treat beforehand. Waiting is so hard! Luckily for him, Bean is a dog owner who is as good-hearted as she is wise, and makes sure he has plenty of other things to distract himself with while he’s waiting for dinner to finally be ready. Will all these distractions be enough, tho, for hungry little Gus?

This is a terrific picture book on patience and resilience that will help teach young readers a very important life skill. Being able to amuse oneself while waiting is a valuable coping mechanism, and it’s lovely that Bean is shown as actively helping Gus to figure that out. It’s also really nice that patience is shown as something that you can practice in everyday moments, for even small rewards like watching a beautiful sunset. As with many other good habits, patience is the kind of muscle that only grows stronger with training and use.

Marjorie van Heerden’s illustrations are adorable and expressive, fully doing justice to both Gus and Bean, as well as their bird friend Pippin. Gus’ range of expression, especially, is a delight. The colors are all soft and gentle, and I love that Bean is depicted as Asian. While it doesn’t technically matter what Bean looks like, I found it a pleasantly surprising bit of representation, especially in a political climate where minorities constantly have to defend themselves from accusations of eating pets.

This is definitely a book for the little dog lover in your life who perhaps needs a little encouragement in the patience department. It’s definitely a win for anyone who loves a cute dog story.

The Very Patient Gus Davis by Laurie Trumble Davis & Marjorie van Heerden was published September 17 2024 by Greenleaf Book Group Press and is available from all good booksellers, including