The Sausage Dog

The simple repeated actions and lively balloon sound effects invite a child to follow the sequence and notice how a familiar object can become part of imaginative play.

Thembsie is disappointed when her mother says they cannot have a dog; the story then moves to another possibility. The balloons also pop, shown with emphatic sound effects.

What do you think Thembsie likes about having a sausage-shaped dog, and how does playing with a balloon change what she can do?

Pause at the balloon-making pages and invite your child to describe how its shape changes. At the ending, ask what they notice about the family’s plates and the balloon dog.