Counting Blessings

Emma Dodd's Love You Books

by Emma Dodd

A big dog and a little dog count ten things they are grateful for, but being together is always number one.

We're counting our blessings one by one. How many will there be? Let's count together, just us two, and very soon we'll see.
In this affirming story, beloved children's book creator Emma Dodd combines a counting element with a celebration of all that is important in life. From a home full of love to the blue sky above, little ones will be reassured by the reminder of everything they have to be thankful for.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Counting, Animals, Storytime, Juvenile

24 pages, Hardcover

Published October 4, 2018

About the author

Emma Dodd Author/Illustrator

Emma was brought up in Guildford, Surrey, in a family of artists and from as far back as she can remember she has wanted to be an illustrator.
Emma studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Central Saint Martin's School of Art and has worked extensively in advertising, editorial and book illustration.
She was nominated for the Booktrust Early Years Award in 2006 for her book "What Pet to Get" and in 2009 for "Miaow said the Cow"
Emma lives in Surrey with her husband and two children, who provide inspiration for her work, and their Jack Russel Terrier, Bart, who keeps her fit. She likes to spend any spare time in North Cornwall, surfing and walking in all weathers.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an adorable book with cute illustrations. The characters were so cute and the story was wonderful, would recommend!

Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counting from 1 to 10 all the ways the parent is blessed to have and do things with their child

[Beau’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Dodd’s Love You series is absolutely delightful and quickly became a favorite in our home. Each book tells a gentle, heartwarming story centered on unconditional love, reassurance, and the special bond between a caregiver and child. The messages are simple yet deeply meaningful, making them perfect for sharing tender moments together at bedtime or during quiet reading time.

The illustrations are truly stunning. Emma Dodd’s signature artwork is soft, expressive, and full of warmth, with beautiful foil detailing that catches the light and adds a magical, keepsake-quality feel to each book. The foil accents not only enhance the artwork but also make the books especially engaging for young readers, who love tracing the shiny details with their fingers.

The stories themselves are short and soothing, ideal for little ones with short attention spans while still delivering powerful messages of love, comfort, and security. Each book feels reassuring and timeless, making the series wonderful for repeated readings and meaningful gifts. Overall, the Love You series is a perfect blend of sweet storytelling and breathtaking illustration, and a lovely addition to any child’s bookshelf.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine that a counting book marries a religious book about gratitude. This picture book could be their baby.

The bigger dog (Mom?) teaches the puppy. The blessings being counted are picture book sized:

Six is your paw in mine.

FIVE STARS for the intended audience.

PERSONALLY

I prefer for children to first learn to enjoy life, human life; and not to start teaching them about religion until they're at least elementary school age. Since babies come to us fresh from God, to me it seems a little ridiculous for us grownups to work hard at teaching them about how to appreciate what's Divine.

But it takes all kinds to make a community of Goodreaders.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mother dog and her puppy counts their blessings.

“We’re counting our blessings one by one. How many will there be? Let’s count together, two us two, and very soon we’ll see.”

This picture book reassures a child of a parent’s/caregiver’s love. It also teaches counting one to ten.

The text is simple and soothing, and the illustrations are gentle with elaborate backgrounds and gold foil accents.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: We're counting our blessings one by one. How many will there be? Let's count together, just us two, and very soon we'll see.

Two dogs count their blessings in Emma Dodd's newest board book. The illustrated dogs--parent and pup--are SUPER, SUPER, SUPER, SUPER adorable. The text itself--written in rhyme--is serviceable. Nothing objectionable about it, perhaps a tiny bit bland, but it gets the job done. It celebrates an attitude of gratitude AND counts to ten.

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like a good counting book, and this one also encourages gratitude and recognizing the simple good things in life. I especially appreciate that the two characters are just big dog and little dog, allowing us to talk about how much we love the kids, but also also how much their grandparents, or aunts and uncles, or teachers also love them. I really love when books offer that kind of flexibility.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author's bold, bright illustrations take center stage in this sweet rhyming book about being grateful for all the things that touch your life, no matter how simple they are. From belonging to a family to goodnight kisses, we have so much to be thankful for.

[Sandie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not part of the Love you series but I think I might love this one best of all.

The illustrations are adorable and the what I am assuming is the mamma dog and the baby dog go through each page and count a blessing all the way till ten and they are perfect blessings that all of us would do well to remember. Just a wonderful book.

[Lisa Van Gemert | Gifted Guru · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet counting book is full of adorable illustrations of sweet dachshunds counting their blessings. It's cute with a great message about gratitude. The text rhymes, but it's not overdone or too rigid.


NOTE: I was provided this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine Irvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gentle rhymes, bold illustrations and simple text make this book an endearing collection for young readers as they follow two dogs who count their blessings together.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great toddler and up book about a parent dog and child counting their blessings. simple and beautiful

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for a parent and child to share

[Pinky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blessing from one to ten there are many things you can count as your blessings.

[Joan Arbogast · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dodd's adorable dog and pup duo count blessings throughout the day.

[Laela · Rating 2 out of 5]

very sweet simple text. I wish there were things you could count on each page. I find it is lacking just a tad.

[Laurie MacAulay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emma Dodd’s books are always sweet but I think this one is my favourite.

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweetly-illustrated little book has two dachshunds naming all of the things in their lives they feel grateful for.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mama and her puppy are counting their blessings, from one to ten.
Their human family is shown briefly.
Not my favorite Emma Dodd book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a dachshund so this caught my eye immediately. Very sweet straightforward story about being grateful for the basic things in life. Great illustrations.

[Christina Rittenberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. So cute.

[Emi えみ Takami 鷹見 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was sooo cute. I loved the use of the shiny textures to add detail to the pictures. And I might just be biased because these are wiener dogs, but this was the perfect kids book!

[Amberdenise Puckett · Rating 5 out of 5]

adorable story to encourage children to count their blessings everyday.

[L.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of my favorite’s of Dodd’s. Love the shiny paper touches, but the rhymes are more sentimental for the adult than the child. More or less rhyming would have been good.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable dachshund illustrations.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Shannon Goodrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Six year old says: the owner seems to count the blessings for the dogs. I liked all of it. I liked the shiny sun.

Mom- I liked the gold leaf pages, and when they held hands / paws

[Margot Hatfield · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute message, but not the most enjoyable read. The cadence was a little odd, and it felt like lines should have rhymed that didn't.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

♥️

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and shiny! 3 year old liked it too