I Want to Be the Only Dog

A story about why siblings are such a special gift, even if they don’t always play nice. Teaches conflict resolution, empathy, and fairness.

“I had it first!” “That’s not fair!”

All parents and educators know one thing – when you get more than one child in a room, there’s bound to be at least a couple of them arguing over something. Award-winning author Julia Cook tells the funny and relatable story of how her three dogs view their “siblings.” Each pooch would like to be the only dog in the family, have all the attention, and not have to share their toys or be bossed around by a stronger dog. Children in grades K through 6 will learn about conflict resolution, empathy, fairness, and problem-solving skills in addition to understanding that “fair doesn’t ever mean equal.” Kids can easily connect to the three dogs and learn to become more tolerant of and patient with their own siblings.

I Want to Be the Only Dog is part of the Building Relationships series which supports social competence. This is one more resource from Julia Cook for helping kids get the social skills they need to get along with others. Tips for parents and educators are located at the end of the story to further address the issue of rivalry with siblings or peers. 32 pgs.