I HAVE FEELINGS, TOO

Svoboda offers an illustrated guide for kids and adults on understanding canine body language.

Kaja, a black-and-white dog, leads readers through her neighborhood and introduces her canine friends who live there. Acting as tutor and translator, she points out how each animal uses their body to show their emotions. The book shows and describes each behavior in ways that kids will find easy to comprehend and follows up with questions meant to generate empathy. For instance, an illustration features two excited children chasing a dog, and Kaja notes, “I can tell she is scared because her ears are back and her tail is underneath her.” She then asks the reader what they do when they feel scared. The book covers both positive and negative canine emotions, showing dogs who are frightened or angry but also those who are happy or excited. A “Parent’s Corner” (denoted by a pawprint symbol) offers additional important details for adults, such as “Moving your child after a warning growl builds trust and creates a safe space for the dog.” Lastly, the book offers discussion and comprehension questions and reveals the breed of each dog in the illustrations. (Kaja, for instance, is a mix of springer spaniel and Labrador retriever.) Knoppová’s cheery illustrations are both appealing and informative; the dogs’ faces are wonderfully expressive, and their body language is just as clear and easy to understand. Whenever children’s books address safety, there’s always the possibility of expressing danger in a way that frightens readers, but fortunately, that’s not the case here. Instead, it’s a compassionate and empowering read that makes clear to children that dogs can also feel nervous, excited, or upset—and that it’s important to be able to identify those feelings in order to respect them.

An excellent and empathetic manual for anyone who regularly interacts with dogs.