The Dog Book

Through a unique and a very personal story of the author and her dog Jo who made it to her new family after living in a street as a puppy and then in a foster home, the author invites us to the exciting world of man’s best friends. The book has two parts. The personal story pages with bright and vibrant gouache illustrations alternate with black and white informative pages where young dog lovers (but also adults!) will find plenty of fascinating information about dog breeds, dogs’ habits, historical and zoological facts but most importantly it will teach a kid how to take care of his pet. The book hides nothing of a big responsibility that we take adopting a dog, it tackles tricky questions and possible problems in a way that is accessible to children. It’s also full of love and tenderness to these creatures that make our lives so much better.

complete English text available (original text – Russian)

Rights sold: Italian, Russian, Korean, German, Spanish (Spain), English (world), French (world), Catalan, Dutch, Greek, Simplified Chinese languages

Awards & selections of Elena Bulay:

⭐ 2020 Image of the book, illustration and book design competition, finalist (The Life of Wonderful Toys by Sergey Sedov)

⭐ 2021, winner of the Illustrators Exhibition organized by Bologna Children’s Book Fair (The Life of Wonderful Toys by Sergey Sedov)

⭐ 2021 Image of the book, illustration and book design competition, winner (for The dog book)

⭐ 2022, winner of the Illustrators Exhibition organized by Bologna Children’s Book Fair (for The Dog Book)

⭐ Book for the Environment Award (Un libro per l’ambiente), honorable mention: for the Italian edition Storia di Jo: come prendersi cura di un amico a quattro zampe by Terre di Mezzo, 2022-2023

⭐ The BRAW Amazing Bookshelf: selected among twenty of the best debut works (Opera Prima section of the BolognaRagazzi), BCBF 2023

⭐ Silver Award Honouring outstanding design and concept in the category Guidebooks, non fiction for children, by ICMA Award (for German language edition by Gerstenberg)

Reviews (selection):

“An engaging mix of personal experiences and solid guidelines.”

– Kirkus review of the English-language edition, 2023

“The large format and spectacular illustrations by Elena Bulay make it a perfect gift for all animal lovers, especially those who have, or want, a four-legged friend.” (translated from Italian)

– Quattrozampe, review of the Italian-language edition, 2023