Things I Learned from My Dog - by Victor D O Santos (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A child's heartfelt friendship with his dog becomes an unexpected source of life's most important lessons, from award-winning creators Victor D.O. Santos and Dena Seiferling

Out with his mother at the Sunday market, a six-year-old boy asks her if they can buy a dog--and the answer reshapes his entire childhood.

Over the course of the next decade, Luna, his best friend and the dog from that fateful day, is not only by his side during the most important moments, but also unknowingly the one who teaches him some of the most valuable lessons he'll ever learn.

Things I Learned From My Dog shows us the extent to which friendship, love, and loss can guide our paths and shape us into the people we will become.

Review Quotes

"A poignant picture book about the joys of canine companionship . . . it is sure to warm every pet lover's heart."

-- "Foreword" (3/6/2026 12:00:00 AM)

"A stunningly crafted tribute to dogs and the lives they enrich."

-- "Kirkus, *starred review" (3/6/2026 12:00:00 AM)

About the Author

Victor D.O. Santos is a Brazilian American author and professional linguist who penned and self-published his first picture book as a gift to his son in 2020. After his eighth self-published effort, My Dad, My Rock, locked down a Kirkus Star and a spot on Kirkus' Best Books of 2022 list, he began drawing the attention of publishers worldwide. Today, he is best known for the internationally acclaimed picture book What Makes Us Human, selected to the prestigious White Ravens 2023 catalogue and a special exhibition at the Bologna Children's Book Fair, and has been translated into 30 languages. Dena Seiferling is a Canadian artist specializing in illustration and sculpting who has a soft spot for animals and nature. A graduate of Alberta University of the Arts, where she continues to teach, Seiferling is most notably a 2022 recipient of the New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book award and a 2019 Governor General's Literary Award nominee (Children's Literature--Illustration). Her needle-felting art has also been featured by Disney. She lives in Calgary.