That Is Not a Dog!

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

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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
Praise for That Is Not a Dog!:

[Readers] will gleefully giggle at the satisfying sense that they know something that’s escaped the protagonist’s comprehension. Colorful, active illustrations depict the dogs’ open-hearted, energetic nature with an irresistible delight; even the most dog-averse reader will be charmed. Pro-puppy apologetics abound in this silly, sweet story of mistaken identities.” —Kirkus
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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

Praise

Praise for That Is Not a Dog!:

[Readers] will gleefully giggle at the satisfying sense that they know something that’s escaped the protagonist’s comprehension. Colorful, active illustrations depict the dogs’ open-hearted, energetic nature with an irresistible delight; even the most dog-averse reader will be charmed. Pro-puppy apologetics abound in this silly, sweet story of mistaken identities.” —Kirkus

Photos

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