That Is Not a Dog!

Illustrated by Charlie Alder
Hardcover
$18.99 US
On sale Mar 31, 2026 | 32 Pages | 9780593619605

See Additional Formats
A cat who has always been told to stay away from dogs, keeps making new friends that are absolutely not dogs (or are they?) in a hilarious story that shows the folly of making assumptions.

Ollie the cat has never met a dog, but he’s heard they’re terrifying with a loud bark, mean eyes, and giant teeth. Fortunately, as he takes a long stroll, he doesn’t encounter any nasty dogs. Instead, he meets lots of new friends. There’s Mildred—with her black and white fur and kind eyes, she’s definitely a cow. Then he runs into Finchley—with his round snout, enormous size, and love of splashing in puddles, he’s clearly a hippo! Ollie has the best walk as he keeps finding more and more new animal friends. No dogs in this crowd...or are there? Bea Birdsong’s short, funny text and Charlie Alder’s irresistible art will have kids laughing out loud as Ollie mistakenly accepts gossip as truth, leading him to make far-fetched false assumptions.

Full of barking good fun, kids will enjoy spotting all the dogs on every page as Ollie embraces his newfound fur-ever friendships!
Charlie Alder has been illustrating for many years. She is particularly well known for her young and tween girl book cover designs and illustrations. Before that, she was an art director for a popular women's weekly magazine. View titles by Charlie Alder

About

A cat who has always been told to stay away from dogs, keeps making new friends that are absolutely not dogs (or are they?) in a hilarious story that shows the folly of making assumptions.

Ollie the cat has never met a dog, but he’s heard they’re terrifying with a loud bark, mean eyes, and giant teeth. Fortunately, as he takes a long stroll, he doesn’t encounter any nasty dogs. Instead, he meets lots of new friends. There’s Mildred—with her black and white fur and kind eyes, she’s definitely a cow. Then he runs into Finchley—with his round snout, enormous size, and love of splashing in puddles, he’s clearly a hippo! Ollie has the best walk as he keeps finding more and more new animal friends. No dogs in this crowd...or are there? Bea Birdsong’s short, funny text and Charlie Alder’s irresistible art will have kids laughing out loud as Ollie mistakenly accepts gossip as truth, leading him to make far-fetched false assumptions.

Full of barking good fun, kids will enjoy spotting all the dogs on every page as Ollie embraces his newfound fur-ever friendships!

Author

Charlie Alder has been illustrating for many years. She is particularly well known for her young and tween girl book cover designs and illustrations. Before that, she was an art director for a popular women's weekly magazine. View titles by Charlie Alder

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more