Do Your Ears Hang Low?

I love basset hounds. I love everything about how they look - what's not to love with those long, beautiful ears, saggy, baggy skin, deep, mournful eyes, gentle, loving personality, and the most melodic of howls!!! Yes, I love basset hounds. 

But, I must say, I do come by my love for the basset hound, "honestly" as my ancestors were friends with Lafayette   and they came with him to help George Washington fight the British. One of the gifts Lafayette brought Washington was a basset hound - probably the first basset in America!

When my husband and I were first married, almost 36 years ago, we got a basset hound - Mindy. She was our "baby" until we had our fist child, at which point Mindy instantly became a "mother-hen". She watched over our children and was completely gentle with them - good thing, because once when Tiffany was two, she discovered Mindy had a tongue. Which of course meant she had to reach into Mindy's mouth to pull her tongue out to get a better look at it. I watched this from across the room and was confident Tiffany would be bit before I could get to her, but Mindy just shook her head to regain control of her tongue, harrumphed, as only a basset hound is able to do, and walked away with a look in her face which said, "Children!!!" Yes, Mindy was completely gentle!

Then about ten years later we got our next basset hound - Giggles. Giggles was not a mother hen but by then our children were older. Giggles was the baby of the family and she knew it! She was spunky and sweet as could be.

Eight years ago our daughter rescued a basset hound - Rosie was absolutely sweet and the most loyal dog I've ever seen! And sometimes she howled in her sleep - one of the funniest things I've ever heard or been able to see!

At any rate, we love basset hounds in this house, so when I saw Sterling Children's Books had a new title set to the old song, "Do Your Ears Hang Low?" I had to see if it was available for review. Happily it was and while it is a few years old, if you are able to get one, you - and whichever children you give the book - are certain to love it!

Do Your Ears Hang Low?
Illustrator - Jenny Cooper
Publisher - Sterling Children's Books
Ages - all (in my opinion!!!)

Favorite Features -

• Everything!!!!!
• Okay - I LOVE the illustrations!
• I was quite delighted - as were my grandsons - to find the "mirror" in this book!
• The eight "Funny Ear Facts" in the back are truly funny!

Sterling Children's Books says; "'Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow?' Most children and parents know and love the song 'Do Your Ears Hang Low?'—and Jenny Cooper’s utterly adorable illustrations will have everyone singing with joy! A little mouse leads the fun as it plays with a basset hound’s floppy, silky ears; a llama’s perky, fuzzy ones; the saggy, soft ears of a lop-eared rabbit; and the flappy, happy ears of a lively piglet. A mirror at the end invites children right into the book, and entertaining 'ear' facts complete the picture!"

Clearly the artist is familiar with the look of basset hounds, because she got the details right - short legs, big feet, broad chest, long ears, beautiful eyes, saggy, baggy skin - the illustrations are wonderful! And not just for the basset hound . . . the llamas and bunny and pig are wonderful too! I LOVE this book! Do Your Ears Hang Low? is an absolute "must have" for a grandma's library - and be sure to sing the text, not read it! Did I mention I LOVE this book?!!!