A new picture book by Sophie Blackall about dogs? Now that’s what I call a Perfect Picture Book!
Title: If We Were Dogs
Written & Illustrated By: Sophie Blackall
Publisher/Date: Little Brown and Company/2025
Suitable for Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: dogs, imagination, ducks, play, friendship, role playing, underdog, compromise
Opening:
If we were dogs,
I’d be a big dog!
And you’d be a little dog!
Brief Synopsis: When one child pretends to be a dog, the other goes along with it, at first, until the pair compromises.
Links to Resources:
· If you were an animal, what would you like to be? Why?
· With an adult, make one of these animal costumes;
· How do you let a friend or family member know that you don’t want to do something? Practice sharing your opinion or desire without offending them.
Why I Like this Book:
As a long-time dog parent, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be one of my pups. To follow my nose to a dog park, to fetch sticks, to experience the world through oh so many scents. My guess is that many fellow dog parents and children who live with pet dogs share this desire.
In If We Were Dogs, Blackall introduces two children, camped out under a table, in a spread before the title page. In a speech bubble, one asks, “If we were dogs what kind would we be?” Tellingly, the second child offers a tepid response, “Um…”
For much of the rest of the story, the pair appear as dogs. The protagonist of the idea appears as a large dog who leads the way through a variety of dog-themed activities, like digging holes, doing tricks, and playing outside.
As the reader follows the protagonist’s antics, it becomes clear in the illustrations that the second child is unhappy as a dog, either not participating in some of the activities or actively frowning at others. Until, finally, things come to a head and that second child speaks up. I won’t spoil the ending, but I love how the characters pivot, how the play becomes more equal, and how both characters seem happy by story’s end.
If you’re looking for a picture book to bring a smile to your face or the face of your kids, If We Were Dogs is just the book for you. Such a celebration of imagination and friendship! In addition, it can be a wonderful discussion prompt to help more assertive children recognize hesitancy in friends or siblings and remember to take turns when choosing activities. It can also help less assertive kids express their feelings and desires, so that playtime is fun for all.
A Note about Craft:
Not only is If We Were Dogs forty pages long, but the initial conversation quoted above occurs before the title page. From the title page on, only animals appear in this all-dialogue story, much of which is a monologue. Not surprisingly, illustrations take on great importance as they are the sole means of deciphering the second child’s reaction to the first child’s speech and antics when both are dogs.
This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!
Wander, Ponder, Write 