If We Were Dogs begins with two children tucked under a table draped with a tablecloth. Scattered nearby are the bits and pieces of a day well spent: a doll’s house, swings made of paddlepop sticks, tiny toy dogs, a duck floating in a bowl, scissors, glue — the mess of imagination at play. One child says, ‘As I was saying, some people like cats. I mean, cats are okay, but I’m a dog person. I love dogs.’ Then comes the big question: ‘If we were dogs, what kind would we be?’
One imagines themselves as a big dog, and their friend as a little one. The big dog imagines they would wag tails with wild joy, slurp water from bowls, dig deep, glorious holes, and the big dog would show off clever tricks while the little dog watches. They’d go to the park to play with dogs, running, wrestling, growling and barking. The big dog’s favourite dog of all … would be the little one.
But the little dog suddenly pipes up, ‘But I don’t want to be a dog.’ The big dog stops, listens. ‘If you really want to know, I would be …’
This is a tender and quietly clever tale about friendship, differences, and really seeing someone else. The big dog is joyful, boisterous, full of bounding energy — just like the child who imagines them. The little dog is thoughtful, quiet, and not swept up in the big dog’s world — a reflection of the quieter child beneath the table.
Sophie Blackall’s illustrations are soft, warm, and expressive, perfectly capturing the personalities of both children through the joyful, heartfelt faces of their imagined dog-selves.
Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 3+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sophie Blackall, AM is an award-winning illustrator of over 50 books for children, including the New York Times best-selling Ivy and Bean series, the 2016 Caldecott Medal winner, Finding Winnie and the 2019 Caldecott Medal winner, Hello Lighthouse, which she also wrote.
She has worked with UNICEF and Save the Children, UK on global health and literacy initiatives. Originally from Australia, she now splits her time between Brooklyn, New York, and the Catskill Mountains, where she and her husband run a retreat for the children’s book community called Milkwood Farm.
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