Author: Maureen Fergus

Illustrator/ Photographer: Monica Arnaldo

Publisher and Year: Owlkids Books, 2016

Number of Pages: 31 Pages

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book tells of Susan, Spencer’s Great Aunt Alice’s dog. Great Aunt Alice comes to visit Spencer’s family and treats Susan as one of the humans. Finding this odd, Spencer and his dog Barney are on a mission to teach Susan how to be a real dog.

The story serves as a window and mirror into how humans see animals and the idea of individuality. Alice views Susan as an equal and even shares how she refuses to go anywhere that treats dogs as “second class citizens” (Arnaldo, 2016). At the same time, Spencer wants to show Susan what a “real” dog is supposed to act like because he feels that Susan did not sound like him and Barney’s “kind” of dog (Arnaldo, 2016). The moment that Great Aunt Alice arrives, Susan is treated as one of the humans. So, Susan and Alice hold the power over Spencer and Barney. In response, Spencer goes on a mission to show Susan how to be a real dog so that by the end of the story, Spencer has gained power by showing her how to be a real dog at the park.

The illustrator depicted the family in the story as Caucasian so not much diversity is involved in the story. Instead, the culture represented in this book is the relationship of humans and their pets. Alice cares for her dog Susan and wants to make sure she is treated with kindness and respect. Great Aunt Alice’s attitude reflects as a mirror that shows how people in society now see pets as more than just an animal, but as a friend. In addition, another theme comes into play as to who Susan really is. She acts one way with Alice but another with Spencer and Barney. This can symbolize the attempt to influence who an individual is supposed to be. This story has shown me that it is acceptable to be more than just one type of person; an individual can have many personality traits that make him or her unique. The text is clear to find on the page which shows that what is being said is important. At the same time, there are more images than text showing that the artwork is very important to the story and should be paid attention to. Also, communication between two characters is a closer-up image meaning the dialogue is significant to the plot. The text correlates with the image on each page, allowing the reader to hear and see the story. Flashbacks are represented in a dark blue color, which can stand for times that were not good for Great Aunt Alice. This storybook portrays core themes such as the bond between animals and humans, and the importance of self-discovery and individuality.