ALA Booklist (Fri Sep 16 00:00:00 CDT 2022)

Introducing mindfulness to youngsters, the author asks: "Can you be like a dog?" Canines, she explains, live in the moment: "Not before or after. Just now." Being inquisitive, playing every day no matter the weather, wagging your whole body when you're happy, and recognizing when you're feeling sad or worried should be essential aspects of everyday living. Children are encouraged to feel their emotions, acknowledging and expressing them instead of holding them in. Delightful digital illustrations using cutout paper and scanned watercolor textures deftly reveal the emotions named in the text. Oswald's charming and humorous vignettes portray each activity the dog and his human friend share while making the most of every season. The tale ends with a suggestion to "Take a Mindful Nature Walk with a Friend" and use the five senses to heighten the enjoyment. Also included is a "Mindful Breathing Exercise" that encourages children to diminish unhappy feelings with the breathing technique. This entertaining book will enable children to better understand and control their emotions.

Kirkus Reviews

An affable dog and its human model mindfulness.The brown, short-legged mutt with expressive eyes and a wagging tail is definitely the star of the book. Its companion, an androgynous child with straight black hair and rose beige skin, doesn't show up until the sixth spread. The slight story follows the pair through a series of ordinary days as the seasons change. The dog and child are often together as they eat, play, swim, socialize, and sleep. The text is filled with frequent mindfulness reminders like "feel the emotion, then let it go and BE," and "notice the night. Feel the fatigue." Young readers are encouraged to imitate typical doggy behaviors that will help them maintain a moment-to-moment awareness of their thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surroundings: "Like a dog, feel what you're feeling: Bark if you're worried. Yowl if you're sad. Growl if you're angry." The winsome digital illustrations, created using cut paper and scanned watercolors, are convincingly textured and multidimensional. Two diagrammatic closing double-page spreads present instructions for taking a mindful nature walk with a friend and include suggestions of what you might notice when you see, hear, sniff, taste, or feel "like a dog" in the spring, summer, fall, or winter. The final page outlines a mindful breathing exercise and shows a picture of child and dog sitting with eyes closed on a blue rug. One spread shows a group of children at a playground, all of whom present White except for two boys with light-brown skin.A cute mindfulness primer that will especially appeal to dog lovers. (Picture book. 3-7)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Across the seasons and from wake-up to bedtime, a squat brown dog models a Zen mindset in this canine-centric call to just “be.” Emphasizing sensory experiences, declarative, action-oriented phrases prompt: “Breathe deep./ Sniff,/ sniff,/ sniffing.../ everything.” Other suggestions address the emotional (“Bark if you’re worried”), encouraging readers to acknowledge their feelings and then to let them pass. Oswald’s digital illustrations feature scanned watercolor textures and paper cutouts for an animated, three-dimensional effect. Playful scenes show the pup and its apparent owner, a child portrayed with pink skin and dark hair, jumping in a puddle, frolicking in a pile of autumn leaves, making snow angels, and beyond, keep the mood light to align with Gianferrari’s mildly humorous text. Back matter includes suggestions for taking a nature walk during different seasons, facts about the way dogs’ and humans’ senses vary, and a breathing exercise. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)