Congratulations, Sara Levine, on Hello Dog/Hello Human!

Thank you so much, Sara, for sharing the release of Hello Dog/Hello Human. Young readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many happy readers. Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was your initial spark? I came up with the idea for this book while walking my dog to the library in North Cambridge to pick up some books. A child asked if she could pet my dog. And while she was gentle, as sometimes happens, she frightened my pup. I explained to her how to approach the dog differently, and in the process, it occurred to me, I could write a book about this, a guide to how to say hello for both dogs and humans.

Writing STEAM books requires a substantial amount of research. Often it is the most fun part of our writing process. Yes, writing STEAM books does usually require substantial research. In this case, my research occurred prior to writing this book. My I grew up on a farm with over one hundred animals, a number of which were dogs. I continued to learn about dog behavior in veterinary school, especially from instructor Brian Kilcommons (who has an excellent book I often recommend to new dog owners: Good Owners, Great Dogs), and from my mother who trained puppies for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and well as from raising my own adopted dogs. So yes, the hands-on part was a lot of fun. And is also an ongoing a learning process—learning to read dog behavior and learning to teach children how to read it so they can connect safely and with mutual respect. Here’s a photo of a friend’s child who was afraid my dog, and my dog who was afraid of this child. I worked to help them learn how to successfully say hello. The book is dedicated to them.

Often one of the most difficult parts of crafting our books is not deciding what to include, but deciding what to leave out. What did you choose to leave out of this book and why? There are many good books out on dog behavior, but I wanted to zero in on the basics of how to say hello. Understanding this part sets up both dog and human for a successful interaction. And also, I thought it would make a fun and funny book to write it a Flip-Book with instructions for humans on one side and tips for dogs on the other.

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? I’d suggest having the kids act out scenarios where one kid is being a dog and one a child, and having them greet (or NOT greet if the conditions are not ideal). What body language does a scared dog show? What body language does an aggressive dog show? Teachers can use the book to help kids identify how dogs let us know when they are ready for an interaction. To expand on this, to teach animal behavior more broadly, look up and discuss how to tell a horse’s feelings from its body language. And a cat’s. And a human’s too!

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? I have four science books coming soon: Watching and Waiting: What Hatches from Nature’s Nurseries (coming April 2025) How We Fly (TBD) Talking to Worms (summer 2025) A Visit with the Birds (summer 2025) And many more ideas in the works! Thats wonderful, Sara. I look forward to them!

About the author: Sara Levine is an award-winning author of over a dozen picture books for children. She used her experience as a veterinarian and companion to many dogs and humans to write this guide to polite introduction for those seeking cross-species connection. Her titles have received the AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science, Animal Behavior Society Children's Book Award, Bank Street College Best Book of the Year, Beehive Book Award, Cook Prize, and the Mathical Book Prize. For more information visit http://www.saralevinebooks.com/