"Where's Big Dog?" is short but especially sweet. The book helps young children deal with the pain of losing a beloved pet in a simple but very moving way. The book acknowledges death in a straight-forward way, and it also acknowledges the grief that can be both expected and unexpected. As someone who has loved and lost her own "Big Dog," I found myself tearing up and identifying with the story, even as a grown-up.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced read.

Loss of a loved one is hard for children to understand. I think this book does a great job handling the subject matter. I have an older dog and 3yo son- it’s something that we will be dealing with. This book teaches children how to handle the emotions that come with loss and that loved ones are never truly gone.

Short, beautifully illustrated and perfect. This would be helpful for children navigating the loss of their first pet, especially a dog, as well as a beautiful gift for anyone grieving pet loss. No fairytales, no religion, just simple acknowledgement of love, loss and healing that can be found in everyday moments.

It reminds me of the writing <i>Eulogy from a Physicist </i>by Aaron Freeman, which I have found particularly comforting in my own experiences of pet loss over the years:

“You want a physicist to speak at your funeral. You want the physicist to talk to your grieving family about the conservation of energy, so they will understand that your energy has not died. You want the physicist to remind your sobbing mother about the first law of thermodynamics; that no energy gets created in the universe, and none is destroyed. You want your mother to know that all your energy, every vibration, every BTU of heat, every wave of every particle that was her beloved child remains with her in this world. You want the physicist to tell your weeping father that amid energies of the cosmos, you gave as good as you got.

And at one point you’d hope that the physicist would step down from the pulpit and walk to your brokenhearted spouse there in the pew and tell him that all the photons that ever bounced off your face, all the particles whose paths were interrupted by your smile, by the touch of your hair, hundreds of trillions of particles, have raced off like children, their ways forever changed by you. And as your widow rocks in the arms of a loving family, may the physicist let her know that all the photons that bounced from you were gathered in the particle detectors that are her eyes, that those photons created within her constellations of electromagnetically charged neurons whose energy will go on forever.

And the physicist will remind the congregation of how much of all our energy is given off as heat. There may be a few fanning themselves with their programs as he says it. And he will tell them that the warmth that flowed through you in life is still here, still part of all that we are, even as we who mourn continue the heat of our own lives.

And you’ll want the physicist to explain to those who loved you that they need not have faith; indeed, they should not have faith. Let them know that they can measure, that scientists have measured precisely the conservation of energy and found it accurate, verifiable and consistent across space and time. You can hope your family will examine the evidence and satisfy themselves that the science is sound and that they’ll be comforted to know your energy’s still around. According to the law of the conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly. Amen.”

Thank you to Indigo River Publishing for providing a copy for review consideration via NetGalley.

5 stars for making me cry! If you've ever known the loss of a beloved pet, this book will pull at your heartstrings. But it's a lovely reminder that those we love are never truly gone.

This is a great read to understand loss and grief especially when it comes to our furry friends. It's so simple and definitely had me tearing up because grief is hard at any age. I think this is a great way to explain it especially to little ones that gives them understanding and comfortability during a time like experiencing loss. I definitely recommend. Loved it!

A sweet, gentle picture book that is perfect for families who have lost a beloved dog. The story is simple and short, making it just right for young children, and it offers a comforting way to talk about grief without being heavy. The watercolor illustrations are soft and lovely, adding warmth to the story. This is a thoughtful book that will resonate with kids and adults alike who are missing a pet.

Thank you NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing for sending this DRC book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Awesome book about grief. Big dog died. This was a tear filled, very sad time for his young Master. After some time passed, the young Master started to process the grief in a healthy manner. Magnificent, cozy illustrations. Highly recommend.

I was blessed with an ARC. Thank you NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing. The opinions expressed are my own and unbiased.

Reading this in public was a mistake. I was fighting for my life trying to keep the tears at bay.

As the proud parent of a senior dog, I already dread the day my boy is no longer at my side. This book handles a deeply difficult topic with care, reminding us that our loved ones aren’t only with us physically. They stay with us long after they’re gone. I still fear that day, but this story brought me comfort in the idea that I’ll continue to see him everywhere: in the small, everyday moments, and in the quiet reminders, in all the things that make me think of him.

While this is technically a children’s book, it’s truly for everyone. The message is profound, the artwork is beautiful, and the emotional impact is very real. Just…maybe don’t read it in public.

Thank you to NetGalley, Indigo River Publishing, Jessica Collins, and Lisa Melamed for the advanced copy. This review is voluntary, and all opinions are my own.

This is a lovely way to show kids that when a pet passes, they get to live on in your heart and mind. That idea sounds a bit abstract, so this book gives really lovely examples. I love how it is more literal in the beginning, an image in a cloud, and it gets a bit more abstract later on, like in the look the other dog and in the dreams.

It is really important to have lovely, soft books about this subject, because it is obvious also a hard moment for the parents, so I think this book can bring some comfort to the whole family in moments like these.

I love how the softness of the illustrations reflect the delicate moments the book talks about. It is a complete picture that just makes sense.

A short, beautiful book on loss

Perfectly illustrated and with just the right words, this book is a beautiful take on loss. Definitely a book to recommend for talking to kids about loss.

This short, sweet little book had me emotional. A dog is such a pure soul that their loss is one of the worst heartbreaks we can experience and you never truly forget the pain. This book helps teach that they never really leave us if we remember them and is an important lesson, especially for little children who may be experiencing grief for the first time.

I just finished reading this book for the third time and really enjoyed Where’s Big Dog? A story of loss and love.
This book is a quick read and it explains very well how to deal with the loss of a pet.
Beautiful illustrations. Perfect book to explain the passing of a pet to a child.
Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC.

Goodness! Four pages in the dog died which is really sad. I like how the hero of the story find a way to cope with the loss of her dog. For sure death whether it be a human or a favorite pet is truly heartbreaking. It's a simple story and the artwork is clean and minimalist which I dig.

Where's Big Dog is a story about the love for a dog and the loss of your dog. It teaches that though you may lose someone or something close to you it doesn't mean the memory of them is gone forever and that they are always around you and with you.

Thank you #NetGalley for the early read

This was a sweet but sad book. As a dog owner and lover it definitely made me cry. I think it's a great book to read to children that may have experienced a loss of a pet.

If I had been a smidge more sensitive today, this book may have had me in a puddle under my desk. As a dog mom to an Old Dog and a Young Dog, I dread the day I live this story. But what a treasure to have a book like this available to share with my own kids. Absolutely love!

I love love love this! so helpful and insightful, that even in grief, there can be hope/look for sign that what you lost is still around, the love's still there within you.

This book tugged at my heart strings. Dealing with the loss of a pet, this book helps with the grief process by highlighting that lost loved ones are still around us and show up in diffeent ways.

It's kind of funny. I feel like when I've lost people or those close to me have lost someone, the bit we never share with each other is the signs we see that they are still around. This book showed me that others feel the same way and it validated my visions.

I thought it was an overall, very beautiful book in terms of illustrations and sentiment.

I thought that this was a lovely and touching book to read.

The story was well written and it was easy to read and understand and it has the most beautiful watercolour illustrations in the book which bring the story to life. They were nice, bright and colourful and they brought the story to life too.

My daughter enjoyed the book and I loved the message with the story too. We lost our family dog back in November at the age of 14 after she had been poorly for a while.

It is 5 stars from me for this one - very highly recommended and a good way to talk through the grief following the loss of a pet and the positive way to see him all around after he passed away and to keep hold of the nice memories

4.5/5 Stars

A short, moving children’s book about the death of a pet and how they can live on forever with you. I took off half a star because the dog’s death felt a little blunt, but otherwise the rest of the book was lovely.

As a librarian, I know there is so much value in having books for kids about life's harder lessons. This is a simple yet beautiful story about loss and keeping loved ones in your heart. The illustrations of Big Dog showing up after her passing is wonderful and the soft watercolor pictures in general help tell the story. It really honors the loss of a pet and teaches the lessons perfectly for young minds.

This book is a real tear-jerker and would be beneficial for anyone navigating the loss of a pet. The illustrations were detailed, vibrant, and supported the storyline well.

Where's Big Dog?: a Story of Loss and Love by Jessica Collins is heartbreaking and lovely in the way it walks through how grief feels after the loss of a pet. I love that Where's Big Dog? encourages the reader to see Big Dog in the little things and realize that he's not completely gone, he's there with us in our memories.

This is a wonderful book for explaining loss to little ones and helping them through the grieving process.

A Heartwarming Journey Through Grief and Love for Our Furry Friends

I found this to be a gentle and lovely book for young (and not so young) readers about grief and the bond with a dog. The story is simple, natural, and heartfelt.

If there were an Oscar, it would go to the illustrations.
They are soft and expressive, and the choice of watercolors is perfect: it creates a dreamlike and deeply emotional atmosphere. Once you’ve read the book, imagining it with different illustrations just wouldn’t feel the same.

I also read the book in Spanish, and while the translation is generally accurate, a few phrases sometimes feel a little stiff when read aloud. It’s a shame, because the book is simple and would be an ideal tool for anyone starting to explore a bilingual world.

In short, this is a comforting and beautiful book for readers who are experiencing loss, and for families who love dogs or are thinking about welcoming one into their home. Truly a must for anyone, young or old, who wants to approach grief gently and share life with our wonderful furry friends.

This is a short and beautifully illustrated book about the loss of a dog. This book shows the feelings of pet loss and how the character processes it. This made me teary eyed and I think this would be a great book for a child who has experienced pet loss.