I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

by Philip C. Stead

The limitless possibilities of the world outside our windows - and the warmth and comfort of home - are explored in this meditation on the imagination, as seen from the point of view of a wise old dog.

Will I ever be the dawdle of a penguin? Will I ever be the waddle of a snail? Will I ever be the tumble of a honeybee? Will I ever be the bumble of a whale?

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Poetry, Nature, Fiction, Dogs

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 5, 2022

About the author

Philip C. Stead is the author of the Caldecott Medal winning book A Sick Day for Amos McGee, also named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of 2010 and a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2010, illustrated by his wife, Erin E. Stead. Together with Erin, he also created Bear Has a Story to Tell, an E.B. White Read-Aloud Award honor book. Philip, also an artist, has written and illustrated several of his own books including Hello, My Name is Ruby, Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat, A Home for Bird, and his debut Creamed Tuna Fish and Peas on Toast, which was applauded by School Library Journal for “its wry humor and illustrations worthy of a Roald Dahl creation.” Philip lives with Erin and their dog, Wednesday, in a 100-year-old barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Reviews

[Alaide Mo · Rating 5 out of 5]

PINCHE LIBRO ESPECTACULAR, ME HIZO LLORAR EN LA FIL GUADALAJARA, SE LO QUIERO LEER A TODOS LOS PERRITOS DEL MUNDO.

[Alex Cassiopeia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relectura: Es una poesía-no-poesía susurrada y sutil. Le quiero mucho.

- - - - -
Para deshojarnos y permitirnos habitar en la belleza del mundo 🌱
Es uno de esos libros maravillosos que merecen ser siempre preservados.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh, I don’t know, no, I don’t know what in the world this story is about—whether the window has conjured the dog or the dog the window—but I do wonder how the wise old pooch knows she will never be the feather of a walrus or the weather of a wren.

[Andi Lo · Rating 5 out of 5]

De los libros más bonitos que he leído este año. Un poco de apreciación por la vida no le hace daño a nadie.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I'm hypersensitive lately but I almost burst into tears of happiness reading this book.

[Natalie Tate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird, unnatural phrases that feel like they're trying to be profound but actually aren't.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a fan of this Stead book! It’ll be an amazing mentor text to imitate the poetic style and also to get students thinking creatively. And always with beautiful illustrations.

[Leonard Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gnomic book by Philip Stead. I have no idea whether this is actually good or not. I guess I mostly responded to the dedication and the author’s bio, so maybe this is some inside baseball stuff. (I once attended a reading by the Steads and asked a question about Number Five Bus Presents, and he said “this is some inside baseball stuff.”) I wonder what it means when Philip makes pictures of “Erin’s animals”: elephants and penguins and whales and owls and walruses… I think of Erin as drawing small, but she generally draws bigger animals than Phil (woolly mammoths aside) whom I associate with small birds and frogs and turtles rendered in a bigger, broader style. I guess dogs are a nice place to meet in the middle.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is lovely to enjoy Philip Stead's whimsy and the underlying imaginative queries explored from the point of view of an old dog as it gazes out a window. Questions such as "Will I ever be the bumble of a honeybee?" or "the scurry of a hummingbird?" show Stead's support of truly unanswerable questions children growing up might ask as they imagine a future on its way. With illustrations matching the imaginative words, it is a book for all ages, those beginners willing to jump in with their own ideas, and adolescents who will see the questions as theirs, wondering what is coming as they near adulthood. It's a conversation to have in a family or in a classroom.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very quirky text and charming illustrations. The book felt like a Shel Silverstein song.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this would be devastating, and instead it was just very nice.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic illustrations!

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a sucker for picture books about appreciating the little things and precious people in life so naturally this was a 5 star read for me :)

[Amy Oberts · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d like to be a reader that understands the meaning of this story.

As a long-time admirer of Stead’s work, I just can’t seem to embrace this story. The fantastical interactions between the creatures is interesting, but not enough to satisfy the “Why?” I found myself asking again and again as the story unfolded.

Again, I’d like to be a reader that understands the meaning of this story.

Publication Date: 2022
Format: Picture book
Elements: Repetitive text; illustrations featuring rainbow patterns

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not always sure what Philip C. Stead's stories mean, but I know that this one makes me feel something--a connection to others and to the larger world around me as well as a sense of responsibility for other living things. In this picture book, the narrator, presumably Stead himself, considers what it might be like to be something small, such as a raindrop, a puddle, or even an umbrella, for a larger animal. Amid all this wondering and wandering, he longs to be a window through which an elderly dog might gaze as she recollects all her adventures as well as those that she has only imagined. The narrator's uncertainty is present in several lines, but so is surety that this dog has had a wonderfully satisfying life and one that any of the rest of us might do well to emulate. The text and illustrations are equally whimsical and almost mystical and philosophical as expected creatures such as a cardinal nest in the tree outside that window but also the unexpected and unexplained occur as well in the form of a whale whose flukes are visible through that very same window, an impossible possibility. The book's pages are filled with large animal shapes and much movement, and the text seems almost hypnotic, making it a good choice for a possible read aloud selected just for the fun of imagining all of this.

[Children's Librarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think like the author is trying very hard to come up with something profound and interesting after the success of Amos book, but it's just not working.

Another lukewarm book from this author-illustrator. I know and like A sick Day for Amos McGee but I never read the others, so before reading this one I actually read a few others of his books. My conclusion is that some picture book creators should just stick to illustrating and don't try to force themselves to become authors. I can't blame them for trying and writing stories, anybody can do that, but why those kinds of lukewarm books are getting published...

What is this book about? This is just a weak poem about some random things that a person will never be, including verses like:

"Will I never be
the feather of a Walrus?"

"Will I never be
the weather of a wren?"

I'm ok with poetry for kids, and with imagining what a person could be if they had a chance to be anything else than a human, but I just don't like this book. Throwing anything into the poem just for the sake of sounding smart and pretending it means something... Nope. Poetry needs to have legs. And brain too. Kids may be kids, but they deserve smart books. The ending is quite weak too.

A better book of his is a House for Bird (I may be misquoting the title a little).

[Dest · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a quirky one, for sure, and I can totally understand why some people would think it was completely ridiculous and/or inscrutable, but I think it's poetry that made me feel feelings and therefore I like it. My daughter and I read it together and we were both like, "What do you think it means?" and had a fun conversation about imagining ourselves as different things. I would really like for someone to set the text of this book to music.

PCS is absolutely capable of writing an excellent traditional story (see: Every Dog in the Neighborhood) but I also like these quirky ones. If you've read Ideas Are All Around you can guess that the Wednesday to whom this book is dedicated is the dog in that book and then it makes this one all the more meaningful.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an invitation to the world of the imagination and possibilities… The lyrical text meanders through whimsical possibilities like being a puddle for a bullfrog, or the sun blanketing a buffalo, or, best of all, to be the window for a wise old dog. The thoughts titillate the imagination but it is the exquisite watercolor, colored pencil, and wood block illustrations that captivate. The pages with wood block text pop with color and generous white space. The animals are realistic but are artistically rendered with the most soulful eyes. This is a quiet book that can be savored on a lap, with a group of children or alone. It is reminiscent of “A Hole is to Dig” (Ruth Krauss) in inspiring thinking through the imagination.

[Word Queen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book made zero sense. I listened to the audio to see if it would be good to use for reading tutoring. Nope. I have no idea what this was supposed to be. It didn’t rhyme, it’s didn’t have phrasing that made sense or seemed to fit, there wasn’t a flow, a complete thought, and the items were pure nonsense.

“A feather of a walrus” what? I can’t recommend this book and it’s definitely not good for learning comprehension, reading practice, word play, or even just to make a someone content with a story. Definitely skip this one. The author should stick to illustration. Children deserve better books than whatever this was trying to be. I agree with other reviewers, it felt like the author was trying to sound profound and deep, really it just sounded like a mush of words in a fever dream.

[Deborah]

This one must be read aloud, to truly appreciate its delightful cadence and wordplay. It reminds me of the authentically childlike writing of Ruth Krauss or Rain Makes Applesauce, in the best ways. It's both fanciful and existential, my favorite kind of book. :)

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. At first glance, the cover made me feel like this book was about to completely devastate me. However, after reading this book I just feel very confused. The book (to me) made absolutely no sense and I'm not even sure who I could read this to or even suggest it to. Definitely not one for a read-aloud to a group. It felt very poetic but with a super unnatural flow. On the plus side, the illustrations were beautiful and slightly made up for the confusing text.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could be used at a storytime because of the repetition, but probably better as a read-at-home book where kids have more time to think about the words and ask questions on every page. It has a meditative quality to it that would make it a very nice nighttime book, even before they start asking questions.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Caldecott award winning illustrator Philip Stead (A Sick Day for Amos McGee) creates this whimsical poetic reflection on what might be possible and impossible. Beautifully illustrated with minimal poetic text, this would be a good read aloud as each page allows for interesting reflections about the life in our world. The word play may be especially good for young children to listen to.

[Erin]

Idle imaginings with bright illustrations. Not a story, but a trippy daydream, or possibly the lunchtime ramblings of an entertaining and precocious four-year-old. A book to stretch one's own imagination

Note: Michigan author/illustrator. I enjoy Philip Stead, but I have yet to see him outshine his wife, fellow Erin E. St**d and I won't admit I'm biased.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading this book, I looked up to see if it were a song because there is something so musical about the odd turn of phrases and sweet images of different animals. With lovely full page spreads dedicated to elephants holding an umbrella or a mouse holding onto a tree branch, this book was fun to read with the kids, but they weren't as engaged as I expected them to be.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was simple and cozy and recalls the best of childish innocence and wonderings. I know it’s not the case, but I wish for all children (and adults) to have musing like these weigh on their minds, rather than the heavy burdens and concerns that they do carry. I think for that reason this book felt like a momentary escape, carving some respite in its pages. I loved it.

[Kari · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. So the inside flap states, “Sometimes, the biggest, most important feelings in life are best expressed with a little bit of nonsense.” While I totally agree with that statement (and as I get older, I realize more and more how much nonsense comes out of my mouth), I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I was hoping. You should still definitely read it, though. I’m one person.

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very lyrical story of all the things you could be and have been. I loved the vocabulary, it uses a lot of movement and feeling words and words specific to certain animals. The art is very bright and flowing against white.

[SamSamSam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This elicited such strong emotions in me. The woodblock illustrations were incredible and whimsical. It would be wonderful for a TALK storytime. I might choose a few especially provoking spreads and just discuss them!

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me so much of "Rain Makes Applesauce" in narrative tone and art, I feel that it couldn't be accidental. I'm glad poetic and slightly nonsensical books (full of silly talk)are still being created and published for children to enjoy.