If We Were Dogs
by Sophie Blackall; illus. by the author
Preschool, Primary    Little, Brown    40 pp.
9/25    9780316581721    $18.99

In Blackall’s earlier picture book If I Was a Horse (rev. 9/23), a child imagines life as a spirited steed; activities include giving little sister a ride to school. In this clever follow-up, a bossy kid (wearing the same blue party hat as that horse/child) confidently declares to a younger one, “If we were dogs, I’d be a big dog! And you’d be a little one!” A boisterous golden retriever then leads a small dog in a classic canine romp: tail wagging, water drinking, stick fetching, hole digging. The less-than-enthused pup reluctantly follows along as they venture out to a park to play with “millions of dogs”—but only the golden is having fun. After the little one confesses, “I don’t want to be a dog,” and shouts, “Sometimes I HAVE IDEAS TOO!” the game continues, but this time the golden is accompanied by a much happier-looking animal: “QUACK!” Audiences will enjoy going back to find sly hints in the art that a certain someone is quite fond of waterfowl. While the front endpapers contain silhouettes of many dog breeds, including the canine protagonists, the back endpapers fittingly present silhouettes of a whole variety of animals, including a golden retriever and a duck—and a horse! Blackall’s impeccably detailed, highly expressive illustrations add heart and humor to this tale about the endless paw-sibilities of pretend play—and the importance of speaking up for oneself.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.