THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY DOG

A parent looks back on a scruffy puppy and realizes what an important teacher she was.

Told through the eyes of an adult reflecting on lessons learned with a childhood dog, this sweet picture book by Santos follows a youngster who spots two puppies at a Sunday market—one pristine, one flea-ridden—and is steered by Mom toward the bedraggled choice. That dog, Luna, becomes the youngster’s teacher for life as she quietly shows the child the importance of listening, having fun, and forgiveness. Seiferling works in her signature brown and white graphite style—seen previously in Bear Wants To Sing (2021) and King Mouse (2019), both by Cary Fagan—and it serves this story beautifully. The technique renders Luna’s shaggy coat with remarkable warmth and texture, while Seiferling deploys color and light with a sure hand: Warm golds suffuse the child’s dreaming face as the dog glows above like a vision, and a winter spread washes the world in cool blues and greens. Compositions shift register confidently; intimate vignettes give way to expansive park scenes teeming with dogs of every description. The story’s final turn (“Last weekend, my daughter turned seven. For her birthday she asked me for a puppy”) gives the book emotional weight and multigenerational resonance that will land hard with parents reading aloud. Human characters have light tan skin.

A stunningly crafted tribute to dogs and the lives they enrich.