If Your Dog Were a Human

I loved this book!

It is a clever, rhyming, lively flight of imagination asking what a dog would be like if he were human? What jobs would he have – as two pages read: “If your dog were human, would he deliver the mail? Or be a robber, and end up in jail?”
How would he drive? What hobbies would he have? What transportation would he prefer? How would he like to spend his time? And all of this is told in a fun, quick rhythmic sequence that hops nimbly from topic to topic. And the pictures are wonderful, lively and perfect!
This is a “my first reader” type book – perfect to be read aloud to babies and toddlers, an excellent book for little ones to begin their reading journey, and a good practice for a kindergartner through second grade. It will spark the imagination of any child whose parents, grandparents, or friends have a dog and of any child who loves a dog – the child will wonder what the dog would be like as a human, leading to many fun and creative thoughts about possible jobs, hobbies, fun, personalities, etc. It places the dog as a human in all aspects of a child’s life – the beach, school, home, sports events, the park, driving or flying, etc, stretching the child’s creativity and adding to the fun. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED!Another good feature of Gamson’s books (hard to find in many books) is that they are multi-racial with children from multiple cultures; a few are set in the mid-East in Biblical times.
The subtle humor would probably make these books palatable to older ESL students also, even though they are meant for children.

Children love to play make-believe. So does author Leland P. Gamson in If Your Dog Were a Human. Imagining all the possibilities for a dog who is human is entertaining – and gives us parents an opportunity to talk about the possibilities in our children’s lives. Your child will enjoy hearing the story as well as looking at the whimsical illustrations created by Karen Camden Welsh.

This book gives a very comprehensive overview of different personality types that children can understand and relate to as children with the implication that we must all make decisions as to which road we will travel in our lives. This book shows these different paths in a very non-threatening manner that will not be off-putting or scary for children, but told as a cautionary tale that everyone travels down a different road and that we are the makers of our own destiny. The story line provides many choices and alternatives and can used be a springboard for conversation between parents and children as well as between educators and children in a classroom or group setting.

a most amusing mind-stretcher for expanding empathy through simple words and beautiful illustrations