If we were dogs by Sophie Blackall

Two-time Caldecott Medallist, Sophie Blackall (Finding Winnie and for Hello lighthouse) returns with a follow-up to her bestselling If I Was a Horse with If we were dogs. Two friends are hiding under a table when one of them talks about how they love dogs and wants to know what kind they would be if they were dogs.

If we were dogs,
I'd be a big dog!
And you'd be a little dog.
Woof!

The big dog is a large, exuberant golden retriever like animal, sporting a cone-like party hat, while the little dog is greyish with black ears and black patches over its eyes. The big dog is full of ideas – they would wag their tails and drink from bowls, fetch big sticks and dig deep holes. The big dog happily goes ahead with its ideas, dragging a reluctant looking little dog along as each is tried out. The expressions on the faces of the dogs are priceless. The big dog is happy, its tongue protruding out of a grinning mouth, while the little dog can be seen rolling its eyes at the antics that the big dog delights in. The little dog is not impressed when the big dog scales a tall fence to go to the park, while it must crawl through a little hole. The idea of playing with millions of dogs does not tempt the little dog even though the big dog say he is still ‘The best! The scruffiest! The fluffy-wuffiest!’ Finally the little dog confesses that he would prefer to be …

The illustrations are fantastic and enhance the narrative that is great to read aloud. I loved the colour and movement of the two dogs, each having a very different personality. The constantly wagging tail of the big dog is an expression of its high spirits, while the little dog makes its feelings come alive with a flick of an ear or a look in its eye. The endpapers are a wonderful bonus, the ones at the front showing all types of dog breeds that the young reader could try and identify, while those at the end give readers an opportunity to find an animal that they might like to imitate.

This is a joyful book that has important underlying themes of friendship and difference. It is likely to become a firm favourite with young children, and one that adults may want to keep for the next generation. Highly recommended.

Themes: Dogs, Imagination, Friendship.

Pat Pledger