When an exhausted stray dog enters the lives of a small group

of children, the events that follow touch the whole community.

Elki is not my dog

Cover Illustrator: Tonka Uzu

ISBN 9781915252364

Writen by Elena Arevalo Melville

Illustrated by Tonka Uzu

Edited by Janice Thomson

Designed by Goldy Broad

Published by Scallywag Press

Publishing date: 7th of March 2024

What is family?

What is the meaning of home?

Illustrator: Tonka Uzu

What does it mean to belong?

 

Illusutrator: Tonka Uzu

Elki is not my dog. In fact I don’t know for sure that her name is Elki.

She must have had a name when we met her, but we couldn’t ask her because none of us speaks ‘Dog’.

How do we understand others when we don’t share language?

"When a stray dog wanders into the lives of a group of children, they give her the name Elki, although they acknowledge that she must have a different name – it’s just that they ‘don’t speak dog’. This insightful opening phrase paves the way for the kind of book this is: one that speaks of the endlessly good and pure nature of children, of their empathy and their understanding. This is a beautifully subtle tale of community, with Elki representing the outsider, lonely and unable to communicate. Despite this, she is welcomed into the community of the children and she is taken care of. (…)” 

 Lea McCarthy, INIS, The Children’s Books Ireland Magazine, January 2024