WHERE'S BIG DOG?

After a girl’s dog dies, she finds solace in memories of the times they spent together in Collins’ and Melamed’s picture book.

The narrator’s household has two pet goldendoodles: Little Dog, a lively gray puppy; and gentle, elderly, golden-brown Big Dog. Shortly after establishing the characters’ dynamic, the authors cut straight to the story’s heart: “Then one afternoon, / quickly and peacefully, / Big Dog died. / It was the worst day ever.” The narrator, a pale-skinned girl in her early teens, is distraught. She sits sadly with Little Dog under Big Dog’s favorite tree on a sunny day. When a neighbor asks after Big Dog, the narrator cries and hugs Little Dog for comfort. The next day, the narrator again sits mournfully until she looks up and finds that one of the clouds looks just like Big Dog. From then on, she finds her late pet reflected everywhere: in wood grain and benchtop marble, in the weave of the shag rug, in her own memories, and in Little Dog’s expression and mannerisms. Collins and Melamed have crafted a beautiful first-person narrative that eschews rhyme in favor of simple prose and gently poetic alliteration (“loving and loyal,” “funny, frisky”). Naude’s watercolor illustrations are autumnal and warm, effectively styled to reflect the heightened, tear-blurred emotions of a grieving child.

A tender exploration of love, loss, and acceptance.