Helen Sonia Cooper is a British illustrator and an author of children's literature. She grew up in Cumbria, where she practiced literature and piano playing. She currently lives in Oxford. Cooper has twice been awarded the Kate Greenaway Medal from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), recognising the year's best children's book illustration by a British subject. She won for The Baby Who Wouldn't Go To Bed in 1996, which she wrote and illustrated. In 1998 she won for Pumpkin Soup, which she also wrote and illustrated. They were consecutive projects for her. Beside winning the two Greenaway Medals (no one has won three), Cooper made the shortlist for The Bear Under the Stairs (Doubleday, 1993) and Tatty Ratty (Doubleday, 2001). As well as her solo picture books, Cooper writes picture book texts for other illustrators, and also illustrates her own middle grade fiction - most recently, The Taming of the Cat' published by Faber and Faber in the UK. WorldCat reports that Pumpkin Soup is her work most widely held in participating libraries.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See here for more details
A little girl who's eaten a dog biscuit imagines what her life would be like if she turned into a dog. I liked the story well enough, but wasn't really wowed by the illustrations.
I’m surprised by how much I like this book, given all the meat references and graphic illustrations. But, it definitely appealed to me.
Well, I identified with Bridget, which is why I read this book. When I was not all that young, I remember worrying that a watermelon would grow in my stomach because I’d swallowed a watermelon seed. So, I understood Bridget’s distress when she eats a dog treat.
This is an interestingly illustrated tale. Some pictures I loved, some I really didn’t, but I did appreciate all of them.
The story is actually quite funny, though I can see young children worrying along with Bridget until Bridget’s worries are assuaged.
I loved this story of a child’s guilt and worry, and how it shows that a comment from another (even if told as a joke) can cause so much distress and be so significant to the person who hears it. I appreciated how one’s imagination and beliefs can cause some actual changes in how someone’s view of themselves. I loved how Bridget’s dilemma is solved. Understanding adults can make all the difference. I love who eats the treats at the end.
At the end of the book a recipe for Human-Being Treats is included. Unfortunately, they’re not vegan, but two easy substitutions (Earth Balance for butter, and any number of egg replacers for egg) can easily make them vegan. Oh, and all the dogs I’ve known so far enjoy vegan dog and vegan people food treats! So, these can be shared with dogs too. Add some peanut butter and the dogs will be in heaven. ☺
A little girl accidentally eats a dog biscuit (well, purposely eats the biscuit but doesn't know it's for dogs!) and then the dog's owner (jokingly) warns the little girl that she'll turn into a dog. And, the little girl immediately begins to worry. That itch behind her ear--is it because her ears are growing, into dog's ears!? And why doesn't her mother notice throughout the day!? The story then goes off on a rather odd dream-tangent where the little girl becomes a dog and goes off to an amusement park of sorts. Will the girl ever get things sorted out when she wakes up?
I appreciate the idea behind this story. Sometimes adults' careless jokes can really touch the heart and imagination of a child--and often cause harm rather than a chuckle. And I loved Cooper's "Pumpkin Soup" But, this story was just a bit too all-over-the-place for me and sometimes it was in rhyme, sometimes not. Odd. And the illustrations didn't wow me as much as those in "Pumpkin Soup" and its sequel. Maybe I just expected more given how much I liked those books.
Bridget ate a dog biscuit and worries that she will turn into a dog. I LOVED this book from the premise and story to the illustrations which are dynamic. Words go into and follow the illustrations - ex. "that the moon exploded and the sky fell in" - become one with the illustrations. The book also includes a recipe for "human-being treats."
So on the one hand, it's a lesson in being honest with children, because they will often take even teasing seriously, with detrimental emotional consequences. This book does take the steps to rectify that mistake, which is nice to see.
Other than that, the way your mind can play trick on you when you get an idea in your head is portrayed perfectly in this story, but manages not to be too scary.
I must confess I don’t really know why exactly I didn’t vibe with this book—maybe it’s a combination of the weirdness of the kid eating a dog biscuit right from the start and the illustrations that just didn’t do it for me. The story is cute and one many can relate to whether it was your mom telling you if you ate fruit seeds that the tree was going to grow in your tummy or if you kept making that face it was going to become permanent. We’ve all heard stories as children that we weren’t quite sure if they were true are not. The little girl in this story is told that by eating a dog biscuit she’ll turn into a dog. She is certain is happens throughout the day and culminating in the middle of the night when she ventures out with a wild dog pack. The next day she is reassured that she will not in fact turn into a dog.
Ever since the pandemic started our libraries have been closed for in-person browsing. You can only request books for pick up. So for L I've been searching for dog books and picking them out based on title. Sometimes that hasn't worked out well, but this one was definitely a hit! Both girls enjoyed it, but L especially did (of course). I could see the gears in her little brain turning as she considered the possibility of tasting a dog biscuit and turning into a dog. We both really enjoyed and lingered over the illustrations. The story was cute and charming, all about a little girl who half-fears and is half-pleased to be turning into a dog as a result of eating a dog biscuit. Turning into a dog has basically been L's dream her entire life, so this really appealed to her. I'm glad we checked it out and would definitely read it again.
What happens when a hungry little girl -- Bridget, in this story -- steals a biscuit and eats it. Then it turns out... this was a biscuit made for dogs to eat.
Such a terrifying fear of turning into a dog! Gradually the worst happens: Bridget does turn into a dog.
Maybe the scariest part of this tale is how Bridget's Mom never notices.
A cookie recipe is included, just to keep on the safe side.
Another FIVE STAR read from author extraordinare (and outrageous illustrator, too), Helen Cooper.
I loved this book!!! It is about a girl who eats a dog biscuit and believes she is turning into a dog. She gets worried and eventually believes she is becoming a dog. In her dreams, she fully becomes a dog and runs off on an adventure with another dog. She has so much fun but then is sad her family will miss her. The illustrations in this book are beautiful and I think this would be a fun read aloud. It is imaginative and creative!
This book brought back a childhood memory where my aunt told me a watermelon would grow in my belly because I ate the seeds and I spent whole night worried because of it. I am glad that the mum took back the girl to Mrs Blair to reassure her she wouldn’t turn into a dog just because she ate dog biscuits. But from personal experience and as an adult, I can see how damaging a statement like that can be to an innocent child.
A delightful story about the little girl that eat a dog biscuit... Beautiful illustrations and an eventful text will certainly constitute an enticing story for children.
Really sweet. A great read for any pet owning child that has undoubtedly tried the pets food! Gorgeous imagery. I imagine this would be well suited to YR through to some of the older years, possibly 5 for the entertainment. Very much enjoyed this book.
Adorable story about a little girl who eats a dog biscuit and thinks she's going to turn into a dog. Seems like a natural thing to worry about as a child.
Bridget is hungry while visiting Mrs. Blair, and finds a stash of dog biscuits in the shed. She eats one. “Oh my,” says Mrs. Blair, “you’ll go bowwow and turn into a dog.” She desperately wishes she hadn’t eaten the biscuit, but by nightfall she’s transformed, and called out into the magical world of dogs.
It all ends just fine, but Bridget is truly frightened by Mrs. Blair’s tease. Bridget’s mom is 100% comforting and supportive when Bridget confesses, and Mrs. Blair apologizes, so I did appreciate the adults’ reaction to a child’s “irrational” fears. However, my son at three years old was really creeped out by this book. We read it again just recently, when he was six, and he found it fascinating. I personally loved it!
My daughter was so distraught reading this book she did not know if it was Bridget's imagination or real, and I guess that is the intention of the book to make little minds wonder at the possibility.
The story is about a little girl named Bridget and she is hungry so Bridget steals a biscuit from the shed which happens to be a dog biscuit. And Mrs. Blair tells a little girl a long tale that the biscuit turns humans into dogs and thus starts the transformation of Bridget from a little girl into a little dog. Definitely a story that keeps your little one's on their toes.
Bridget eats a dog biscuit and Mrs. Blair, her babysitter, tells her that she'll turn into a dog. Bridget has mixed feelings -- it's fun to be a dog but she's not quite sure she really wants to be a pup for life. Her imagination runs wild and she spends the evening romping with a pack of dogs. Kids with dogs and active imaginations will enjoy this imaginative and unique story. Recommended for ages 4 - grade 2.
A hungry little Bridget takes a nibble of a dog biscuit. Mrs. Blair says "Oh my, you'll go bowwow and turn into a dog." After that statement, Bridget can feel herself beginning to change into a dog. Why doesn't her mom notice anything? She feels her tail wagging, she disrupts dinner until Dad says "It's like eating with a pack of wild dogs". But still, mother doesn't notice anything. Is it all in her imagination?
You've heard it said that you are what you eat. Does it follow then that if you eat a dog biscuit, you turn into a dog? Bridget thinks it does.
What I thought: A funny book. This is just the sort of adventure (or misadventure) kids have. The illustrations suited the text perfectly. I especially liked the ones of Bridget as a dog.
A little girl who ate a dog biscuit confessed to a woman she knew. The woman jokingly told her she would turn into a dog. Well, the little girl believed her and as the day went on she imagined herself more and more like a dog until she woke up in the night afraid. Her mom came in to comfort her and told her that the woman was just kidding and not to worry.
A little girl who ate a dog biscuit confessed to a woman she knew. The woman jokingly told her she would turn into a dog. Well, the little girl believed her and as the day went on she imagined herself more and more like a dog until she woke up in the night afraid. Her mom came in to comfort her and told her that the woman was just kidding and not to worry.
This is a silly book about a girl eating dog biscuits and thinking she turned into a dog. She goes throughout the day as a dog and then at night begins missing her family because she is no longer a little girl. In the end she really isn't a dog and everything is fine.
A little girl eats a dog biscuit by accident and thinks that she will transform into a dog. She starts to act like one. The illustrations in the book are very colorful. The concept is cute but it may confuse some children
Couldn't tell whether this was supposed to rhyme or not. Imaginative story about a girl who thinks she'll turn into a dog because she ate a dog biscuit.