Be More Dog is a warm and wonderful tale, written by Caroline Crowe with marvellous illustrations by Carlos Vélez. And though it is a book for children, Caroline tells us here that the joy of being more dog is a great life lesson for us all!

Be More Dog
By Caroline Crowe, illustrated by Carlos Vélez
Published by Floris Books

The Joy of Being More Dog! 

Joy is such a powerful word. There are lots of synonyms you can use, but I don’t think any other word captures that feeling of unbridled happiness in the moment. Write it or say it out loud and you can’t help but remember a snapshot in time when you were filled with that emotional sunshine.

I wrote my latest picture book, Be More Dog, during the Covid lockdowns in the UK. It was an anxious time and it was often difficult to remain positive. One day I looked up from the table where I was working and noticed our family dog, Oka, lying in a small patch of sun on the floor of our sitting room. He’d found a bright spot and was just enjoying the moment. It was that image that sparked the idea for Be More Dog: a reminder that even in the most difficult times there can be moments of light, and we need to try to stop and appreciate them.

I think, especially as adults, we sometimes get caught up in focusing on bigger events and the happiness or excitement they might bring. The pace of modern life is fast and it’s easy to forget to appreciate all of those other less conspicuous moments that make up our days – the promise in the smell of freshly baked cookies or the exhilaration of riding a bike downhill with the wind in your face.

It’s often something that children are better at than grown-ups. There’s a scene in the book where it starts to rain and Sam, the dog in the story, encourages his young owner to splash in a giant puddle with him. There is magic in the illustrations that Carlos Vélez created for this book. They totally capture both dog and owner embracing the joy of the moment. I think as we get older we can become too focused on the consequences of things like jumping in puddles – muddy, wet clothes! – but maybe children and dogs see the possibility for joy first.

The other page in the book that always makes me smile is the image of Sam and his owner each doing something that makes them happy while they wait for Dad to come home. It’s a reminder that joy doesn’t have to be loud and showy. There is also joy in the quiet moments, like reading a great book or in the case of the young character in my story, drawing a picture.

Lastly, but perhaps most important, there is the joy that comes from making other people happy. Dogs have an absolute knack for gifting happiness and it’s something Sam teaches his young owner about. I hope that reading the book inspires children and grown-ups to recognise and reach for the little moments of joy in their day. Our four-legged friends are champions at finding it in the smallest of things and we could probably all do with being a bit more dog!

Be More Dog by Caroline Crowe and Carlos Vélez is published by Floris Books, priced £12.99.