Buster follows his Nose (2022) was written by Paula Stevenson and illustrated by Jenny Hale. It’s about family, change, age, love, and dogs. That sounds complicated, but the story itself is quite simple. Buster’s a dog (a border collie by the look of him). He used to be a working dog on a farm, but he and his human are both getting older, and both vision is fading. However, when Tilly, who appears to be the farmer’s granddaughter, comes to visit, Buster still has a job: to take care of Tilly.
They do farm tasks, go exploring, have fun in the water and fun in the hay. They spot some kangaroos (the book’s from Australia), and get lost when they chase after them. They spend the night in the wild. Threats surround them, but Buster stays near Tilly, guarding and protecting the whole night. When the adults find them the next morning, Pop (the farmer) asks why Tilly didn’t just let Buster guide her home. Tilly asks how, since he’s almost blind, and the farmer says he would just follow his nose.
That’s it…but the images tell a hundred more lively stories. There many small images of Buster and Tilly, playing every game under the sun, and large images of Buster leading everyone home. I would say this is an idealized vision of a dog and its loyalty, but I’ve seen it in real life too many times to demean Buster that way. Buster’s just a good dog who acts like a good dog, protecting the young even as his body fails him.
