My Someone: A Pet Adoption Story

4.8

4.5 (1)

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Author(s)

Yuko Torii

Publisher

Penguin Workshop

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 03, 2026

ISBN

978-0593887271

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A heartwarming picture book about a stray dog’s journey to finding his forever home.

A little stray dog wanders the streets alone, afraid of everything he comes across—loud city noises, getting caught in the cold rain, and bigger dogs that fight for scraps. He doesn’t like it!

And he especially doesn’t like it when he gets caught by animal rescue and is forced to be cleaned and scrubbed. But everything changes when a family chooses him to take home, helping him slowly discover all the things he does like—playing fetch, eating delicious food, and being loved forever.

Through rich art and sparse text, debut author-illustrator Yuko Torii shows how to be grateful for every step of life’s journey.

Editor review

1 review

Heartwarming Book about Pet Adoption

March 14, 2026 (Updated: June 24, 2026)

Overall rating

4.8

Plot

4.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

A small, scruffy, yellow dog is shown out alone in the world, enduring a hard life. She is scared, hungry, and alone, and wants desperately to find her "someone". When she is found and take to an animal rescue, she doesn't like the grooming or the shots, and is not a fan of the bow on her head! When a little boy and his mother take her home, she likes the warmth and quiet of the home. Food and playing ball are great, but she does not like her tail pulled. Fortunately, rolling in the grass makes up for the little boy's momentarily lapse in judgement. Snuggled up in her dog bed at night, she feels safe, but also lonely. She drags her blanket to the little boy's room, and the last picture shows the two sleeping comfortably together.

Good Points

What an absolutely charming book! I have a soft spot for a good rescue dog tale, since I now adopt older dogs who need homes, and the dog in this book looks very much like my Leo! The watercolor and ink illustrations do a great job of showing both the horrible conditions at first, with the picture of the dog in the rain making me feel very damp and cold, but also feel warm and cozy when the dog is at the boy's home. The facial expressions are fantastic; I'd love to see this dog playing with Melling's Ruffles! Young readers will giggle a bit at the dog's reactions to getting a bath and having her nails clipped, and there is a great opportunity to talk about how to treat pets when the boy pulls the dog's tail.

This has just the right amount of words for a read aloud, and I can see this becoming a fast favorite; just be careful about reading it too many times if you DON'T want to adopt a dog! While not in rhyme, this has a good rhythm, and reads aloud very smoothly. I read it to my dog several times!
There are a good number of books about rescue dogs that have been published, but some of my favorites are Thompson's A Family for Louie, Boelts and Walker's Before You Were Mine, Cummings' Can I Be Your Dog?, Jones' Perdue, and Guojing's wordless picture book, Stormy: A Story about Finding a Forever Home.

Karen Yingling, Staff Reviewer #1 Reviewer 2477 reviews

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User reviews

1 review

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0(1)

Characters

4.0(1)

Writing Style

5.0(1)

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0(1)

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My Someone: A Pet Adoption Story Review

March 14, 2026 (Updated: June 24, 2026)

Overall rating

4.5

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

5.0

Strongly recommend if you're looking to educate a child about dogs, as some pages provide info regarding the dislikes of many dogs in general. I have family members who have adopted dogs, so I decided to read this book to the children, and they enjoyed it a lot.

The story follows a little yellow dog who starts out all alone. She is scared, hungry, and just hoping to find someone who will care for her. Eventually she is taken in by a rescue, where she goes through things like baths, grooming, and vet visits. Those moments are not exactly her favorite experiences. After that, a boy and his mom decide to bring her home, and she slowly begins getting used to living in a place where she feels safe.

What I liked most about the story is how it shows the dog adjusting to her new life. At first she is unsure, but she begins to enjoy simple things like having food, playing, and resting in a warm home. The book also gently shows that pets need to be treated kindly and carefully. By the end, when the dog brings her blanket into the boy’s room and sleeps near him, it feels like she has finally found the person she was hoping for.

The illustrations really help tell the story. They clearly show how the dog feels in different moments, from the harder parts at the beginning to the calmer and happier scenes later on. Overall, it is a warm and touching picture book about adoption, kindness toward animals, and finding a place where you belong.

Good Points

- Heartwarming story about a rescue dog

- Good way to teach kids kindness toward pets

- Clear, expressive illustrations

- Nice book to read aloud with children