Every single day when morning arrives and I wake up, the first thing I see is my dog, Mulan. She is either still sleeping next to me or giving me the where-is-my-breakfast stare. And every single day, I take a few minutes to be grateful to have her sharing life with me. She reminds me to focus on the now. She does not dwell on the past, which is not to say that she does not remember. She just chooses not to have it steal her current joy. She does not think about the future except to get excited about what we will see on our walks or when we go for a ride in the car. She, like the dogs before her who have been a part of my world, lives life as it should be, moment to moment.
For dogs everything is a sensory experience. Based upon what they see, hear, taste, touch, or smell, they react with what I have come to believe is perfection with the exception of skunks and porcupines, of course. Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, April 5, 2022) written by Maria Gianferrari with pictures by Pete Oswald is a book to savor every day, any day. It is a reminder of the purpose and value of how we spend our time.
Being like a dog
is BE-ing.
Right now.
They tend to disregard what was and what will be in exchange for what is. They embrace the morning with stretches, wagging, doggie kisses, and a breakfast and beverage enjoyed. When they go outside, one of the first things they do is lift their noses to the air, gauging all the local happenings. They sniff every whiff.
Do they know how to play? They do with every muscle and movement in their bodies! And they don't care if it is sunny, rainy, windy, or snowy.
Whatever emotion comes their way during the day, they express it. We should, too. There is no better display of happiness than the happiness of a dog. Wherever they go, whatever they do, they do it completely.
They realize the need to rest during the day to recharge when necessary. We should realize this, too. Then, get back into the action in every season. At the end of the day do you have a ritual? Dogs do. They let nature tell them it's time for bed. Every muscle and movement in their bodies welcomes sleep and dreams.
Author Maria Gianferrari has been and loves to be in the company of dogs. She believes like Roger Caras that
dogs make our lives whole.
It is through her observations of her canine companions and research about them that gives this book its authenticity.
Her short sentences and phrases are as if a dog is speaking them. She takes us, word by word, through a dog's appreciation of finding joy and living fully throughout their day. Alliteration adds to the zest this dog, all dogs, bring to a day. As we follow this dog and his human, we are reminded to be like a dog. And we find ourselves agreeing with total abandon. Here is a passage.
Wade and watch in the water.
Tunnel and shovel in the sand.
Hide and leap from the leaves!
One of the first things you might think from looking at the right side, front, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case is this dog is wise in the ways of the world. This dog is ready to embrace the day. This dog loves to run, fetch, and return. Do you notice the smile? Do you notice the heart-shaped tag? The dog and text on the front of the dust jacket are varnished.
To the left, on the back, beneath the words
Let's BE like a dog---right now.
is an interior image. It shows this dog's human popping up from a pile of leaves as the dog jumps high in the air over those leaves. We all know they will then roll around in the leaves together. Both the child and dog have their mouths open in happiness.
The opening and closing endpapers are the bright turquoise color we see on the dog's collar. The title page is a mirror illustration of the jacket and case. With a page turn we see the dog chasing a seagull on the left and sitting and waiting next to the tennis ball on the right. These are the publication information and dedication pages.
Throughout the book, Pete Oswald
used cut paper and scanned watercolor textures to create the digital illustrations for this book.
They are highly animated with spot-on dog expressions and body postures. Pete Oswald includes details in the images allowing us to see the bond between this dog and the child.
The pictures are single-page images with wide loose frames, smaller images grouped on a one or two pages, full-page pictures, edge to edge, and double-page visuals, edge to edge. Regardless of the activities, our eyes are drawn to the dog and the human's response to that dog. They are together, always.
One of my many favorite illustrations (I could literally frame a lot of them.) is the first double-page picture in the book. It is morning. On the right side of the image, through a window, we see tall buildings glowing in the morning light. Near the window on an oval rug is an easel. A picture of the dog has been painted by its human. The tennis ball is beneath the window. On the left side is the bed. Above it, on the wall, are pictures representing the friendship between the child and dog. (One of the pictures shows the child's hand reaching for one of the dog's paws, tip to tip.) The child, still under the covers, is stretching their arms upward. The dog is on top of the blankets and stretching. What a wonderful scene to begin a day!
Truthfully, I cannot imagine a personal or professional collection without a copy of Being a Dog: A Tail of Mindfulness words by Maria Gianferrari and pictures by Pete Oswald. At the close of the book are several pages giving us examples of how to be like a dog in all four seasons. We are challenged and instructed to SNIFF like a DOG, HEAR like a DOG, SEE like a DOG, FEEL like a DOG and TASTE like a DOG. Along the bottom of these four pages are facts about dog characteristics. On the final page we are shown a Mindful Breathing Exercise. The illustrations on these five pages are fabulous!
To learn more about Maria Gianferrari and Pete Oswald and their other work, please follow the link attached to their name to access their website. Maria Gianferrari has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Pete Oswald has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Here is a link to a post on author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them) site including an interview with Maria Gianferrari. You can view some interior images from this title there, too. Here is a link to a virtual launch of this book at Books of Wonder with both Maria Gianferrari and Pete Oswald.
UPDATE: Maria Gianferrari is interviewed at Picture Book Builders on June 14, 2022 about this title.
Much love to Mulan from Maple!! We love dogs :)
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this detailed and thoughtful post, I already knew I wanted to read this book (Maria's writing is fabulous), but now I want to study the illustrations as much as the lyrical text. Thank you for the post today!
ReplyDeleteMindfulness is such an undervalued and underappreciated form of self-care and a positive practice with regards to mental health.
ReplyDeleteDespite being a cat person, cats do not seem to embody the spirit of BE-ing in the Right now in the same way as dogs do. As someone who has studied mindfulness in my undergraduate psychology degree, before turning to teaching, I think that you’re take on the value this simple text can have on a class of middle-grade learners is spot on. I also agree with you that the larger topic of mindfulness, is a conversation that belongs in the classroom. So often the learners can get lost in thoughts of the past, or head in the clouds of the future, when many of us educators really want them in the here and now, present, lift their noses to the air, to have them take that sniff every whiff.
The part that I struggle with is, when is the best age to talk about mindfulness, to really talk about mindfulness? I’m sure that most people will agree that mindfulness is an important subject to breach at almost all grade levels, but at what age do learners begin to grasp what the concepts, and what the point of being mindful actually is? Especially when it’s such a valuable concept to practice.