Book Review of Pillow: The Dog Who Saved My Life
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The Children’s Book Review

Written by Debora De Santanna

Illustrated by Pencil Master Studio

Ages 4-9 | 32 Pages

Publisher: Pillow the Dog Books Company | ISBN-13: 9781777557300

What to Expect: Family, pets, faith.

Pillow: The Dog Who Saved My Life is a touching story about human-animal relationships that is woven through with valuable messages for young readers.

Mick loves to count things because it helps him pay attention to the world around him. However, the middle of a busy road is the wrong place to stop and pay attention! When Mick bends down in the road to look at a pretty pebble, he nearly gets run over by a car. It’s only the quick thinking of a very dirty, very skinny, very smelly little dog that saves Mick. Grateful for the little dog’s help, Mick and his mom take the dog to the vet, and when they learn he’s a stray, they happily bring him into their home. After four baths, it turns out he’s white—like a pillow! That’s how Pillow the dog gets a name and a loving new family.

From the way Mick puts sibling rivalries into perspective to the dramatic lesson about road safety, the narrative’s sensitive portrayal of common childhood experiences is sure to feel familiar and reassuring to readers. Most importantly, however, it illustrates the strong bond that can develop between humans and animals and the enormous benefits we all experience from having loving pets in our lives. Positive messages about faith are also unobtrusively present, demonstrating how faith can be a feature of everyday life. Bright, cheerful illustrations help bring the lovable character of Pillow to life and further underline the positivity of the story.

Overall, Pillow: The Dog Who Saved My Life is an enjoyable read for dog-loving families.

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About the Author

Debora De Sant’Anna was born in Brazil and has spent most of her adult life in Canada. She began writing her children’s stories about a dog name Pillow during the pandemic. They are based on the bedtime stories she told her children when they were little. Writing children’s stories has always been Debora’s passion, but having English as a second language was a huge hurdle for her until an editor read her stories and encouraged her to publish them. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing paddle tennis, working as a home stager, reading obsessively, or sharing a laugh with her friends. Debora lives in Toronto with her husband, two children, and their two adorable Labrador retrievers.

For more information, visit https://www.pillowthedog.com/.

Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored, non-biased review of Pillow: The Dog Who Saved My Life, by Debora De Sant’Anna and Pencil Master Studio. Learn more about getting a book review …