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When Billy Was a Dog
If you can't have a puppy, maybe the next best thing is to be a puppy.
'Can I please, please, please have a dog?' asked Billy. 'Would you walk it every day and wash it if it got dirty?' 'I would, I promise!' said Billy. Billy wants a dog. He really really really wants one. Billy's parents aren't so sure. So one morning, Billy takes matters into his own paws.
'Can I please, please, please have a dog?' asked Billy. 'Would you walk it every day and wash it if it got dirty?' 'I would, I promise!' said Billy. Billy wants a dog. He really really really wants one. Billy's parents aren't so sure. So one morning, Billy takes matters into his own paws.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published June 3, 2019
21 people want to read
About the author
Kirsty Murray
27 books65 followersKirsty Murray is a multi-award-winning author of more than 20 books for children and young adults. Her works include eleven novels as well as non-fiction, junior fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction and picture books. She loves books, libraries, bookshops, readers, writers, puddles, puppies, and stories – especially stories about kids and teenagers. Her 2019 releases included the non-fiction title 'Kids Who Did' and a gorgeous new picture book 'When Billy was a Dog', illustrated by Karen Blair. 'Strangers on Country', by Kirsty & Dave Hartley with stunning illustrations by Dub Leffler was published in 2020.
You can find me all over the internet. There's stacks of information on my website at:
hhtps://www.kirstymurray.com
and I'm on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/kirstymurrayauthor
and Twitter:
http://twitter.com/kirstymurray
You can find me all over the internet. There's stacks of information on my website at:
hhtps://www.kirstymurray.com
and I'm on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/kirstymurrayauthor
and Twitter:
http://twitter.com/kirstymurray
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
May 26, 2020
Billy wants a dog more than anything, but his parents think he's too young. So Billy decides to BE a dog, crawling on the floor and saying, "woof". His neighbour has a dog, and when she has puppies Billy looks after them until they are all taken away. But are all the puppies actually gone?
This is a sweet story about wanting and loving a pet.
This is a sweet story about wanting and loving a pet.
June 14, 2019
4 and a half stars
I love a good dog story (which is curious seeing as I was so very scared of dogs as a child)!
But I guess it's hard to be scared of puppies and even harder to be scared of a four year old pretending to be a dog. Which is what we have here.
Billy takes his determination to convince his parents that he should have a dog as a pet to the nth degree by becoming a dog - lying at the bottom of the bed, barking, licking, eating his food out of bowl and crawling all the way to the park to play with his tongue hanging out!
With some laugh out loud moments and plenty of awwwwww's, When Billy Was a Dog will become a firm favourite with preschoolers and preschool teachers everywhere!
I love a good dog story (which is curious seeing as I was so very scared of dogs as a child)!
But I guess it's hard to be scared of puppies and even harder to be scared of a four year old pretending to be a dog. Which is what we have here.
Billy takes his determination to convince his parents that he should have a dog as a pet to the nth degree by becoming a dog - lying at the bottom of the bed, barking, licking, eating his food out of bowl and crawling all the way to the park to play with his tongue hanging out!
With some laugh out loud moments and plenty of awwwwww's, When Billy Was a Dog will become a firm favourite with preschoolers and preschool teachers everywhere!
July 2, 2019
We think many children who desire to own a pet will relate to this delightful story. The author writes that the inspiration for this book was her own son Billy who desperately wanted to own a dog, “Every playful puppy moment in When Billy Was a Dog is based on things Billy did during his “dog phase”.” This picture book covers themes of family, pet ownership and responsibility, neighbours and imagination. The beautiful illustrations and endpapers from Karen Blair perfectly complement Kirsty Murray’s imaginative text. We anticipate that there will be many conversations in your classrooms about pet ownership that arise from this book.
Suitable for 3+
Teacher’s Notes: https://www.allenandunwin.com/documen...
Suitable for 3+
Teacher’s Notes: https://www.allenandunwin.com/documen...
June 24, 2024
This book is about a boy who really wanted a Dog. He pretended he was a Dog and played with his neighbours' puppies all day and everyday. At the end of the book his parents got him one of the puppies.
I really liked the illustrations and all of the detailed pages. The storyline is really funny. My favourite bit of the story is when Billy’s parents him a puppy.
I did not get confused at all in this book the book was really easy for me to understand. I read this book more then twice because it was an adorable heart wrenching story. I adored the story, and all of the characters were so funny and creative. I did not dislike any of this book. This book is a heart-warming story line. I think the age for this story is from kindergarten to senior primary school.
I really liked the illustrations and all of the detailed pages. The storyline is really funny. My favourite bit of the story is when Billy’s parents him a puppy.
I did not get confused at all in this book the book was really easy for me to understand. I read this book more then twice because it was an adorable heart wrenching story. I adored the story, and all of the characters were so funny and creative. I did not dislike any of this book. This book is a heart-warming story line. I think the age for this story is from kindergarten to senior primary school.
May 5, 2020
A simply told story of a young boy who is so desperate to get a dog that he behaves like a dog.
Sniffing, walking on all fours and eating off the floor might appeal to young readers, but i just couldn't believe that any parent would put up with it. The illustrations were expressive and full of movement.
I am not sure why, but shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood.
Sniffing, walking on all fours and eating off the floor might appeal to young readers, but i just couldn't believe that any parent would put up with it. The illustrations were expressive and full of movement.
I am not sure why, but shortlisted for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood.
November 26, 2020
This was a classic story demonstrating the wonder of imagination in young children, something we should all try hard not to lose as we grow up.
September 1, 2021
A funny and thoughtful story that is very relatable. Also I met the author at a reading and she signed our copy. Thanks Kirsty!
July 14, 2022
This is a story of a boy who really wanted a dog. He pretended he was a dog and then played with his neighbour's puppies. In the end, his parents got him one of the puppies.
December 7, 2020
When Billy Was A Dog is THE picture book for any dog lover out there. It has also been shortlisted for this year's CBCA Book of the Year: Early Childhood book week award for 2020.
Billy LOVES dogs. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say he is obsessed with them. After pleading with his parents for a puppy of his own, Billy resorts to the big guns and devious a mischievous plan to become a dog for a day. Using childhood logic, Billy figures if he can show his parents he knows ALL about dogs and their habits, then surely they will let him get one?
What follows is a beautiful, somewhat hilarious, rollicking read of one small child turning himself into a dog for a day. Getting a puppy is a very serious matter, and thus Billy puts his whole heart put into the task. Dedicated beyond belief, Billy takes his food on the floor, sleeps at the end of his parent's bed, plays with his neighbour's dog Fluff, sniffs a fence or two, and even goes to the park as a puppy on his hands and knees to play fetch with his Dad.
I loved everything about this book. Although I've never acted as a dog for a full day like Billy to get his one true desire, I can relate to his longing to have a puppy of his own; I think a lot of kids can.
While Billy's crazy escapades are likely to turn a few parents heads, I think this book is brilliant. It's full of childhood shenanigans and family good fun that you can't help but smile, and laugh behind your hand at in secret (don't want the kiddies getting ideas after all).
Kirsty Murray's text is simple, and to the point, relying heavily on dialogue between family members to tell her tale. There are a number of lines to each page (generally four-plus), meaning an adult will probably have to help some younger readers.
Karen Blair's illustrations are perfect. Featuring strong black outline's her watercolour images are bold, and lifelike as they document Billy's adventures as a dog. Blair mixes up the illustrations, choosing to alternate between the various size of illustrations. We go from full double-page illustration spreads to comic-like windows, to smaller centred images and border-sized illustrations as well. There is one particular image of Billy sharing Fluff (his neighbour's dogs)'s bed as the pair fall fast asleep that completely stole my heart, especially when combined with Murray's narrative.
All in all, When Billy Was A Dog is an exceptional picture book; one totally deserving of its shortlisted place for Book of the Year: Early Childhood for the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book Week Awards 2020.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf and can be found here: https://wp.me/p3yY1u-2i0
Billy LOVES dogs. Actually, it's probably more accurate to say he is obsessed with them. After pleading with his parents for a puppy of his own, Billy resorts to the big guns and devious a mischievous plan to become a dog for a day. Using childhood logic, Billy figures if he can show his parents he knows ALL about dogs and their habits, then surely they will let him get one?
What follows is a beautiful, somewhat hilarious, rollicking read of one small child turning himself into a dog for a day. Getting a puppy is a very serious matter, and thus Billy puts his whole heart put into the task. Dedicated beyond belief, Billy takes his food on the floor, sleeps at the end of his parent's bed, plays with his neighbour's dog Fluff, sniffs a fence or two, and even goes to the park as a puppy on his hands and knees to play fetch with his Dad.
I loved everything about this book. Although I've never acted as a dog for a full day like Billy to get his one true desire, I can relate to his longing to have a puppy of his own; I think a lot of kids can.
While Billy's crazy escapades are likely to turn a few parents heads, I think this book is brilliant. It's full of childhood shenanigans and family good fun that you can't help but smile, and laugh behind your hand at in secret (don't want the kiddies getting ideas after all).
Kirsty Murray's text is simple, and to the point, relying heavily on dialogue between family members to tell her tale. There are a number of lines to each page (generally four-plus), meaning an adult will probably have to help some younger readers.
Karen Blair's illustrations are perfect. Featuring strong black outline's her watercolour images are bold, and lifelike as they document Billy's adventures as a dog. Blair mixes up the illustrations, choosing to alternate between the various size of illustrations. We go from full double-page illustration spreads to comic-like windows, to smaller centred images and border-sized illustrations as well. There is one particular image of Billy sharing Fluff (his neighbour's dogs)'s bed as the pair fall fast asleep that completely stole my heart, especially when combined with Murray's narrative.
All in all, When Billy Was A Dog is an exceptional picture book; one totally deserving of its shortlisted place for Book of the Year: Early Childhood for the Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book Week Awards 2020.
This review was originally posted at The Never Ending Bookshelf and can be found here: https://wp.me/p3yY1u-2i0
November 9, 2021
This is a delightful story about a young boy named Billy who really, really wants to have a pet dog. Billy begs his parents for a dog, but when they say 'no', Billy gets up to mischief.
This wonderful book can be used as a springboard to talk about common pets, our relationships with neighbours and longing for something we cannot have. The text is very accessible and is well suited for children in K-2.
The illustrations in this book are lovely. They clearly enhance the text, making it a good choice for teaching children with limited English skills.
This wonderful book can be used as a springboard to talk about common pets, our relationships with neighbours and longing for something we cannot have. The text is very accessible and is well suited for children in K-2.
The illustrations in this book are lovely. They clearly enhance the text, making it a good choice for teaching children with limited English skills.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews