Reviews and Stories
Below are a few unbiased reviews and stories that have been published about the book. I have posted the complete reviews below highlighting some of my favourite parts in bold type. Links to the original posts are also included below.
For more biased reviews, please visit the blog.
Kirkus Reviews:
In this debut compilation of humorous conversations and colorful photographs, three adorable dogs say the darnedest things.
What canine lover hasn’t imagined what a dog would say if it could speak? Leswick, a photographer and family man, has always talked to his dogs. But after a smart but mischievous Brittany spaniel pup named Eva joined his family, he felt like he could read her mind. So, over time, he began sharing their conversations on the internet. When Eva was 2 years old, Bruno—a happy-go-lucky golden retriever—joined the family chats. Most recently, Agnes, a rescue pup of unknown lineage, came along to liven things up even more. Deciding that he needed to put his dogs’ adorable photos—and antics—in book form, the author assembled this fun-filled, browsable collection. Cuter than the cutest Facebook memes—Bruno wears underwear on his head because he’s a Jedi, and Agnes looks sweet even when she’s caught ripping a toy to shreds—Leswick’s canine photos are accompanied by “dogversations” he or other family members have had with the pups. There are no chapters in this slender beauty, but relatively short conversations have titles—for example, in “Laundry,” the author finds Eva lounging on the humans’ clean clothes. Easy to read and comprehend (names are followed by colons to denote who’s speaking), these simple exchanges are squeaky clean and appropriate for the entire family. Lighthearted human-animal misunderstandings take center stage in several of the animals’ pithy quips. For example, in “The Great Flip-Flop Debate,” Bruno says the humans’ rubber sandals are meant to be chewed because flip-flop is a yummy-sounding name. Sometimes the situations are seasonal; for example, the dogs sing Christmas carols, and on Halloween, Bruno dresses like a ghost. But the family’s favorite season seems to be summer, and there are some lively scenes of the pooches in action at the lake.
A cute, fun frolic for tail-wagging fans.
Traveling Sisters Book Review
By Brenda and Lindsay
Brenda’s Review
HOT DIGGITY DOGS!! How perfect can a book be that takes gorgeous, fun entertaining photos of dogs and then tell a story for each photo through a conversation with the dogs? I would have to say pretty perfect!! I am in love with this stunning, beautiful, and fun book! This is one every book lover and dog lover will love. There is just something about dogs that capture your heart and make you smile, and this is one that did every time I pick it up. It is one I have shared with my family and will sit on my coffee table to look at it over and over again.
If dogs could talk -what would they say? Well, meet adorable Eva, Bruno, and Agnes through the laugh out loud, enduring dogversations they have between themselves and their family.
Canadian photographer and now author David Leswick from Saskatchewan has been doing weekly dog photography projects on social media for over eight years, and from there, his dogversations became a way to tell stories behind the photos. Over the past years, the dogversations grew and tell the personalities of each of his puppies. Now David shares those dogversation with us here in this stunning heartwarming book.
David captures the personalities of each of his dogs, and it’s easy to see their quicky, curious, and my favorite clever personality coming out in each photo. He shares with us those everyday moments with dogs, along with some fun adventures between dogs and humans. It’s hard not to laugh out loud while reading their conversation, and they are many you can relate to with your own dogs.
This is the perfect and special treat for everyone who loves dogs!! I highly recommend it!!
Lindsay’s Review
Calling all dog lovers!
This is a unique, clever, funny, heart warming book that all animal lovers will enjoy. The author has used his outstanding portfolio of stunning photos of his family dogs and added what he imagines would be his dogs thoughts and comments – a mini conversation between him and his pups – about each photo. Anyone who has owned a dog will get a good laugh while reading these pages.
From being caught in naughty situations to tender loving moments, this book shows a true variety of the love and mischief our furry friends bring to our lives. As a dog owner myself, I felt a strong connection and loved every page. It has easily earned a forever spot on my living room coffee table and would make the perfect gift for any dog lover!
Thank you to David Leswick for gifting me a beautiful hard cover finished copy!
Dog Evals
By Skye Anderson
What in Tarnation are “Dogversations” Anyway? According to a future dictionary somewhere (and also according to author David Leswick on the Dogversations webpage), “dogversations” are: “The informal exchange of ideas by spoken word, either between a human and a dog, [or between a dog and a human,] or amongst two or more dogs (especially conversations that are lengthy, off topic, and fraught with good-natured misunderstandings and humour).”
Dogversations may remind you of Groucho Marx or Gracie Allen or Rowen and Martin or The Smothers Brothers. . . .Dogversations also go by the term, dogalogues (dog dialogues). Dogversations is a collection of 68 delightfully perfect, finely-crafted family photos and the ensuing conversations that might have taken place as life was snapped to be saved in time and space.
Canine Conversations: The Stories Behind the Photos: We all talk to our dogs but do you carry on a two-sided conversation with yours, perhaps on a walk where nobody can hear? Do you tell him the schedule for the day? When she comes to you with those big puppy-dog eyes, do you hate having to tell her that dinner is still an hour away? Do you and your dog chat as you are putting his paws in place for the perfect photo shoot – only to find he has moved them the instant before you clicked the camera? If any of these are daily occurrences for you, then you are that person who wonders what your best friend would say if he started the conversation.
With Dogversations, you know! And for a sneak peak, check out the Youtube preview video here.
Some of the photos spark the imagination while others are obvious as to what the dogs are saying in Doglish, now translated for the reader. And now you know - the rest of the story.
New Pup in the Family: Dogversations is a compilation of conversations between Dave, the human dad, and Eva, Bruno, and Agnes of the canine kind. The book opens with number one pup, Eva, a Brittany spaniel. She “ . . . is a brainy Brittany spaniel who has a talent for puppy dog eyes, laundry hamper fashion critique, and garden-ornament bird watching."
But, dogs are like potato chips: you can’t have just one.
Enter, Bruno: A Second ‘New Pup in the Family’: When Eva grows up, the family acquires Golden Retriever pup Bruno. Eva decides to keep him as a toy because finally she has someone smaller than she is to play with (only later does she find out how quickly [and big!] Goldens grow!)
Every dog training center should have a poster of Jailbreak: Bruno climbing out of his X-pen in the bedroom. It’s a good thing Bruno is so cute!
Bruno grows into “ . . .a classically handsome golden retriever whose hobbies include dock jumping [sic], hammocks, and being spectacular.” He is an eternal lap dog but “. . .intelligence seems to evade him at times: he often looks confused and toward the left while everyone else is excited about a bird or squirrel on the right.”
Then Along Comes Agnes: When Bruno is all grown up, along comes Agnes, “the genetically diverse rescue dog,” “a sweet good-natured rescue puppy. . .unless you are a squirrel.”
One Spouse, Two Kids, Three Canines. Oh, and a Photographer/Writer Dad: And finally, after eight years of photographs and human-to-canine or canine-to-human conversations, the family is complete and ready to share their canine shenanigans with the world. The result is a book to keep, for kids and adults alike. You will display it on the coffee table and refer to it often.
But mostly, you will look at your own dog differently with new eyes (possibly canine eyes?) and start to write your own family’s dog book – a photo on one page with the ensuing conversation on the facing page. Even the kids can take part in selecting the photos and writing the ‘dogversations.’
Who’s Your Favorite Dog Star? With nearly a hundred photo-conversations to choose from, I just can’t pick my favorite – I have nearly a hundred favorites! And as for dogs, I am biased in favor of Golden Retrievers (since the author does not have a Lab), so Bruno is my fave - that is, next to little Agnes and number one Eva.
Power Librarian
By Helen Power.
This book is quite ingenious in its simplicity. It’s a coffee table book that has photographs of dogs alongside “conversations” with them. Dogversations isn’t intended to be read from front to back (at least, that’s my interpretation), and selecting stories at random is a perfect way to go about enjoying this book.
The right-hand side of each two-page spread has a beautiful colour photograph depicting one or more of Dave’s dogs. The left-hand side depicts a conversation–either between Dave and his dogs or among the dogs themselves. These conversations are light and sweet, with a tinge of dry humour. The situations are simple, yet amusing, and the dogs say exactly what you would expect them to say. For instance, the dogs sometimes have misinterpretations about the English language – like mistaking “Skittles” for the word “riddles”. Many of the situations are quite common (as most pet owners will know), from Bruno trying to escape its crate to Agnes losing her ball under the bed. It’s the dialogue that makes these common occurrences unique and flavorful. For instance, there’s one photo where Bruno is wearing underwear on his head and refers to himself as a Jedi.
The photographs throughout this book are stunning and capture the distinct personalities of all three dogs. I also want to mention that there are seasonal spreads, which I appreciated, especially the one of Eva next to a jack-o-lantern (It’s perfect for this time of year!).
I recommend this book to all dog lovers. These little snippets of Dave and his family’s life with their dogs are a perfect pick-me-up for after a long day at work.
WCVM Today
By Lynne Gunville
Book combines photos with pup talks. If you hold regular tête-à-têtes with your pets, Dogversations is a book that gets you.
David Leswick has created a beautiful photographic journal of his family’s three dogs, with each photo accompanied by a conversation that sets the scene while revealing the animals’ unique personalities.
“I found the conversations were a great way to add story to the images,” says Leswick, a Saskatoon radiologist and an avid photographer. “It’s not random. It’s exactly how Eva, Agnes or Bruno would react to a situation in my mind. It’s what they would be thinking.”
For several years Leswick has been sharing photographs on his Flickr and Instagram accounts. His weekly projects, which featured images of each of his dogs, eventually began to include “dogversations” — simple exchanges among the dogs and him that revealed each pet’s distinctive personality.
While the photos and matching conversations started out as his creations, the whole family became involved. Leswick’s wife Karen, daughter Julia and son Daniel have all participated in the projects by helping him to set up the photographs and create the discussions that go along with them. “In some ways it’s become a whole family thing,” says Leswick. “Oftentimes we’ll be sitting around the table, and the kids will say, ‘Do you think that Eva would do this for a photo?’ Or Daniel will have a great idea for a dogversation. The kids are also very good dog wranglers."
As Leswick’s dog discussions became increasingly popular on social media, he recognized it was a relatively unusual concept and decided to compile the selections into a self-published book. “I realized there are so many dog lovers out there and so many people who relate to these types of stories,” says Leswick. However, the project involved a lot more work than he had expected: “I had to choose from 250 to 300 of these dogversations in my files, and I wanted them to come together and tell a story and go chronologically for the dogs as they grow up.”
True to his objective, Leswick begins Dogversations with photographs and conversations between him and Eva, a smart, opinionated Brittany spaniel. As the book continues, they are joined by Bruno, a lovable but goofy golden retriever puppy, and then by Agnes, a rescue puppy that just loves hanging out with the family.
Having accumulated the photographs over six years, Leswick faced the challenge of selecting only 68 photographs and maintaining a cohesive look, even though his editing and shooting styles had evolved over the years.
While Leswick has always loved dogs, his interest in photography took off once he’d finished his medical training and had time to experiment with his digital camera. In addition to having photographs published in Cottage Life magazine, Leswick has prints displayed at several Saskatoon locations. He has raised over $5,000 for the Canadian Red Cross by donating a portion of his print sales to the charity.
Over the years, Leswick’s photos have also appeared in the Western College of Veterinary Medicine’s (WCVM) annual calendar for its Veterinary Medical Centre. Early photos were of Kael and Oliver, the family’s golden retrievers. “We’d hooked up with the vet college before, but when Oliver had an osteosarcoma, we spent more time there and got to know their programs and some of the staff,” explains Leswick. “Oliver was a fan favourite whenever he came in for chemotherapy.”
After Oliver’s death, the college continued to publish Leswick’s photographs on notecards supporting the Companion Animal Health Fund (CAHF) as well as in the annual WCVM calendar for its veterinary teaching hospital. Eva, Bruno and Agnes have had their own calendar pages. That relationship, combined with his university appointment, prompted Leswick to partner with the University of Saskatchewan (USask), so that $5 from every Dogversations book sold through the USask Bookstore and its online store will be donated to the WCVM’s Les and Irene Dubé Good Samaritan Fund. Its aim is to support medical treatment for animals that are ownerless or owned by clients who are unable to pay for care.
Earlier this year, Leswick faced an unexpected challenge with his new project: just three days after a shipment of 1,000 books was dropped off at his house, Saskatchewan went into COVID-19 lockdown. While the situation has slowed book sales, Leswick emphasizes that COVID and the necessary restrictions are far more important. Like everyone else, Leswick says he’s just trying to “adapt and navigate these new waters that we’re all in.”
He’s also hopeful that the photographs and canine chats will give people a reason to smile during these trying times.
“It’s about relationships in a lot of ways. It’s the relationships between the dogs, it’s the relationships of the dogs with the humans, and it’s also about family,” says Leswick. “In our family we all love the dogs — they have such personalities, and they’re part of the family.”
Visit the online USask bookstore to purchase Dogversations.
TheReadventure
By Olivia (Instagram #bookstagram)
4 puppy stars for Dogversations!
I was so fortunate to get a copy of Dogversations from David Leswick, a photographer and new author from Saskatchewan!
If you’ve ever looked at your dog and wondered what they would say if they could talk, this book is for you! Leswick personified each of his animals so well in this gorgeously photographer book, and I truly found myself giggling at these convos.
Also, I’m always down for a Canadian author, especially one that focuses on dogs. If you know me at all, you know I’m 100% obsessed with my dog, so this book is exactly on brand for me.
The book is a PERFECT gifting item for the holiday season for anyone who loves dogs. Check it out on Amazon!
Guy Langevin
Editor PhotoLife Magazine
(This is admittedly more of a direct/emailed review, but I elevated it to this section as he is the editor of PhotoLife. Plus I was pretty chuffed about the comparison to Bill Watterson the creator, artist and writer of Calvin and Hobbs)
At « Explosion » you already had me and l knew that I was in for a nice ride. I appreciated the friendly atmosphere and lively sense of humour of your book. It reminded me of Bill Watterson (and that’s a very good sign!). I wasn’t annoyed by the fact that it doesn’t display 2 page spreads on the iPad[see below]. Actually, It allowed me to imagine the scene before it was revealed to me and then anticipating the resulting photo!
[A deficiency of the apple ebooks version is that it doesn’t allow for viewing as a two page spread as intended in the book. But, apparently Guy did not find this to be an issue]
Direct Reviews
Below are a number of reviews that I have had texted or emailed to me. Some of them may be a bit biased, but most of them are not. I appreciative hearing from people who have read the book, so please contact me to let me know your thoughts! Before posting any reviews on the website I always check with people to see if they are willing to have their words posted here.
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Beautiful photographs of beautiful silly dogs doing normal dog things which every pet owner will recognize. Each page has a gorgeous photograph with “dogversation” captions which will make you smile, and sometimes belly laugh. This is an essential coffee table book for dog lovers. Every time you pick it up you will relax, smile, and love your dog more. Highly recommend!
Cynthia Croy, MD
Joplin Missouri
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David, I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate receiving Dogversations. It is a work of art indeed. I have gone through it twice already and I am looking forward to doing it again with each of the grandchildren. Leonie is only one so it’s a bit early to tell with her but the other four are real animal lovers and I know they will get a great kick out of it. The way you captured their expressions and fitted the narrative to the photos is a real talent. […] I look forward to hearing more about your exploits in the months ahead.
My Dad’s Friend Richard
Toronto, Ontario
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Hey Dave, My 23 year old daughter Kaylee and I are sitting on our deck reading a bit of your book and having some good laughs. Love it! Great pics too!
Bill
Saskatoon
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[I was gifted] your book for Christmas and I have to tell you it’s just so great! It just makes me happy, even to glance at the cover! The photos are stunning, some are just magical honestly. And the dogversations are hilarious and so real for those of us who know and love dogs. But I must say, you read their minds far better than I do.
Carla
Saskatoon, SK
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Awesome. Loved the book. You did a fantastic job. Look forward to 2nd edition already !
Mike Davidson,
Winnipeg, MB
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Man, is that book ever well done. Johanna, who has won six national journalism awards, thought it was BRILLIANT. Much appreciated that you sent us a copy especially given that we are dog crazy!
My Dad’s friend Roy
Oakville, Ontario
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This was a great book! The cover (and every other photo) was adorable. This book was a perfect addition to my collection of photos of Bruno. I can agree when the author says - ‘Bruno is a very handsome boy!’
My daughter’s friend Quinn (who happens to be a giant fan of Bruno)
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I’ve been a fan and a follower of Dave’s on Flickr for many years, and am delighted to see a number of his photos and clever “dogversations” gathered together in a beautifully printed and produced book. A surefire mood elevator to dip into this book, admire the very accomplished photographs, and peek into the daily life and interactions among this canine and human family. I love to see how involved the kids are with the dogs, and am sending a second copy to my grandchildren!
Karen Peterson
Colorado
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I love the dogs and it’s just so funny!
Julia (yes, it’s a completely biased book review from my daughter)
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The book you shipped to us arrived today and I am having a great time with it. Terrific job! I would like to get one for my sister-in-law, a great dog lover. […] The book is a real treasure.
Malcolm Scott
Toronto, ON
Thank you so much for your book that I received today. What a fantastic job and such a novel approach. The pictures are fantastic […] The conversations are so entertaining. I get a real chuckle out of the comments. Well done.
Lorne and Margaret
Oakville, Ontario
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Our family loves this book. Our kids think it is hilarious how the dogs interact with the children in the book. Great photos too.
Jared O
On Amazon.ca
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I just loved it! The Photos are outstanding. Love all the stories and I can totally relate. […] Thank you for sharing!
Barbara Brandreth (AKA @bbrand123 on Instagram)