The Art of How Dogs Sleep

by Alison Kim

Discover all the hilarious ways dogs take a snooze in this playful and irresistible debut picture book!

Did you know there is an art to how dogs sleep? It's not quite as simple as it looks. There's the matter of finding the perfect spot, the perfect ambience, and, of course, the perfect position.

This charming picture book ​with its wide cast of adorable dogs explores their secret and slumbery world, and subtly invites readers to slow down, be mindful, and drift off to sleep with their paw-fect companions.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Dogs, Childrens, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

Published April 21, 2026

About the author

Alison Kim is an author-illustrator who loves dogs, oh so much! Hanging out with her sweet rescue pups, Peanut and Oliver, is her favorite pastime, and she constantly thinks about adding more pups to their pack! Alison lives and works in Northern California.

She invites you to check out her art process and the adorable doggies who inspired her debut picture book on Instagram @alisonkimart.

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of How Dogs Sleep is a calm and charming picture book that captures the quiet beauty of everyday moments.
By focusing on how dogs rest and settle, Alison Kim creates a soothing, observational story that feels perfectly suited for bedtime reading. The gentle theme and likely visual appeal make it easy for young readers to engage while also encouraging relaxation.
What stands out most is its simplicity. Rather than relying on fast-paced storytelling, the book leans into calmness and curiosity, making it a comforting choice for shared reading time.
Soft, warm, and peaceful, The Art of How Dogs Sleep is a lovely addition to bedtime routines and animal-themed picture book collections.

[Mizzy Mint · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this cute book. Artistically it feels very whimsical and like it was colored by colored pencils. It gives a dreamy magical quality to the imagery, which is quite fitting as it is about how dogs sleep and in the very end a little imagery top suggest what they might dream about (it's all dog stuff, like toys, running, smelling, and FOOD!). I love the images of all the different dogs prepping for sleep and piling on one another. Very cute, and simple. For any dog lover or anyone who is thinking of getting their first dog, this is a cute and fun book about sleepy pups!

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an adorable, well illustrated title about dogs sleeping preferences that will be enjoyed by young through adults. After all haven’t we all observed dogs sleeping. I loved the illustrations that were rendered with wax pastels, soft pastels, colored pencils, and gouache with finishing touches in Procreate and Photoshop. I enjoyed this and think it deserves to be on the 2027 Caldecott consideration list! It’s just fun.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author: Alison Kim
Title: The Art of How Dogs Sleep
Publication date: 2026
Category: Storytime
Interest level: Pre-K to 1st grade, maybe up to 2nd grade
Brief Annotation: A fun story on how different dogs sleep
Themes: Dogs, sleeping
Ways to use this book with children: For Pre-K, this could be a good book to read before nap time and connecting it to how they get ready for a nap. For older children (up to maybe 2nd grade), it could still be used to talk about good sleep habits, but it would be more of a fun story to read
Diversity: N/A-all sorts of dogs
Where/how you found the book: I think I was searching for books to use for this class using my public library.

[Carole G. Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Art of how Dogs Sleep is a beautiful picture book by Alison Kim. I love all the different breeds of dogs so all readers can identify with this book. This is a great book to start conversations and develop imagination about individual readers’s dogs. I highly recommend it.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the pastel and colored pencil artwork. We have a big white dog, so this subject matter was very familiar to me. I learned my dog's main sleeping positions are called the donut, the potato, and the dead bug. Great book!

[Anna Moberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! The story is so cute and I love the illustrations!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great book about how dogs sleep. Would make a good book for any booklover.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Katie O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cutest, sweetest book I’ve ever read. The toe beans page is my favorite. Anyone who rates this less than five stars is a liar.

[Kathy T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute and fun way to learn about dogs with my baby. We love the illustrations and I think my baby loves dogs even more now! I highly recommend

[Lauren M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great pairing for a dog lover's bedtime!

[Abbigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sneaky bedtime book for young dog lovers

[Book Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for K to 2 students. You can have your kids act out the way dogs sleep.

[Crystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story for a dog owner. Probably not a great group storytime book just because of the detailed illustrations.

[Liz Todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun one! Kids could notice how their dog is sleeping and now can give names to those positions and sleep behaviors... really cute!

[Bookworm4Life · Rating 3 out of 5]

A playful story that shows the art that goes into how dogs sleep. A good book for bedtime that is also entertaining.