The Inspiration Behind DOGS IN COATS by Mary Louise Kelly

Please welcome children’s author and retired elementary educator Mary Louise Kelly to Frog on a Blog! Mary’s picture book Dogs In Coats is perfect for kids who love dogs. It’s a concept book that helps kids learn the fundamentals of addition by counting up dogs who are wearing coats and adding that number to dogs who are not wearing coats. In all, kids will “meet” 400 real dogs and even learn each dog’s name. Painted backgrounds by artist Jenn Sargent add more variety and visual elements to each page. It’s super cute and a great way for children to have fun while learning!

Mary stopped by today to share the inspiration behind the book and her passion for joyful learning. Let’s hear from Mary!

The Inspiration Behind Dogs In Coats
by Mary Louise Kelly

I have lived in Vienna, Austria, for the past nineteen years, and one of the things I love most about this beautiful city is how much people love their dogs. Dogs are everywhere. They ride public transportation, relax beside their owners in cafés and restaurants, accompany families into many shops, and are even welcome on golf courses. They truly are part of the family.

We moved to Vienna with our two-year-old Sheltie, Lydia, she immediately fell in love with her new home. Almost every day we visited one of Vienna’s many beautiful dog parks, where she could run freely, play with other dogs, and simply enjoy being a dog. Those wonderful parks eventually became the inspiration for Dogs In Coats. Every page in the book is set in a different dog park throughout the changing seasons, and if you look carefully, you’ll notice that the people are shown only from the waist down. That was intentional; I wanted readers to experience the world from a dog’s point of view.

Throughout my forty-three years as an elementary educator, I always believed that children learn best when they are actively involved in the learning process. My teaching philosophy has been influenced by Maria Montessori, Jean Piaget, and Howard Gardner, whose work on Multiple Intelligences I had the privilege of learning about firsthand while teaching at The Howard Gardner School in Pennsylvania. Every child learns differently, and I have always tried to make learning engaging, meaningful, and enjoyable rather than something to be memorized simply for a test.

My love of mathematics naturally found its way into my classroom. While teaching five-year-old Austrian children who were also learning English as a second language, we celebrated each day of school by counting together. We counted by ones, twos, fives, and tens, gradually helping the children recognize number patterns before introducing addition facts. I wanted mathematics to become something they could see, experience, and enjoy.

Dogs became the perfect teaching partners. Children naturally notice them, talk about them, laugh at them, and remember them. That simple observation inspired me to use groups of dogs to visually demonstrate addition facts. Instead of seeing numbers alone, children could actually see the math happening through playful photographs of dogs, making learning both memorable and fun.

Creating Dogs In Coats became a journey of its own. For four years, I photographed dogs wherever I traveled throughout Europe and the United States, always asking owners for permission before including their beloved companions in the book. Even the Vienna Animal Shelter generously contributed photographs. In the end, the book featured 400 dogs, 160 wearing coats and 240 without. Every photograph reminds me of the wonderful people and remarkable dogs I met along the way.

Looking back, I realize that Dogs In Coats represents everything I loved about teaching. It brings together curiosity, storytelling, joyful learning, and the simple happiness that animals bring into children’s lives. If one child finishes the book smiling a little more confidently about both dogs and mathematics, then every photograph, every lesson, and every moment spent creating it was worthwhile.

Mary Louise Kelly is a retired elementary educator whose teaching career spans more than four decades across Pennsylvania, Ecuador, and Vienna, Austria.

Today, she continues sharing her passion for joyful learning through children’s books, classroom visits, and author presentations, always believing that when children are curious, meaningful learning naturally follows.

More About DOGS IN COATS

Dogs In Coats is a children’s picture book for ages 5–7 by former elementary educator Mary Louise Kelly.

Inspired by more than forty years of classroom experience, the book combines real dog photography with early addition concepts to help children build confidence in mathematics through observation, curiosity, and play. Featuring 400 real dogs photographed in beautiful seasonal settings, Dogs In Coats transforms foundational learning into an engaging and memorable reading experience for children, families, educators, and homeschoolers alike.

Learn more about Mary Louise Kelly and her book at:

https://marylouisekellyvienna.net

https://www.dogsincoats.net

Happy Book Birthday to JESUS LOVES THE LITTLE CHILDREN, ALL THE CHILDREN OF THE WORLD by Tara Hackney!

Title: Jesus Loves the Little Children, All the Children of the World

Author: Tara Hackney

Illustrator: (Photo illustrations)

Publisher: IVP Kids

Release Date: June 24, 2025

Format: Board book, eBook

Summary: The classic song “Jesus Loves the Little Children of the World” has been heard in homes and churches for over a century. This fresh adaptation includes three new stanzas that reflect God’s inclusive love. The vibrant photographs showcase children from around the globe, creating a captivating reading (or singing!) experience for preschoolers and their accompanying grown-ups. With the beautiful reminder that all children of the world are “made and loved so perfectly,” these updated lyrics celebrating God’s love will quickly become a favorite in every home.

Do you have a children’s picture book coming out soon? I’d love to wish it a Happy Book Birthday here on Frog on a Blog! For more information, CLICK HERE.

Two Tree-Mendous Picture Books For Arbor Day And Earth Day (My View Book Review)

Title: Hello, Trees

Author: Bailey Bezuidenhout

Illustrator: Maria Lebedeva

Publisher/Year: Kane Miller/2023 (first American edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, seasons, nature, emotions, self-reflection

Of Note: Expressive text and illustrations

Title: Tree Spirits

Author: Louise Wannier

Illustrator: April Tatiana Jackson

Publisher/Year: True Roses Books/2023 (second edition)

Topic/Theme: Trees, emotions, imagination

Of Note: Rhyming text, interactive illustrated overlays, and color photographs

I love trees of all shapes and sizes, so it’s my pleasure to share today, just in time for Earth Day and Arbor Day, which are both this week, two children’s picture books that take our relationship with trees to the next level. Before I tell you more about these books, let me back up just a bit. I mentioned that I love trees, but so do kids! There’s an interesting fascination that kids have with trees. Maybe it’s because trees are so big and kids are small. Or maybe it’s because trees come in many shapes and sizes and even colors. Trees are fun to climb and play in or play under. And trees often hold surprises, like birds and nests, squirrels and nuts, and pinecones and flowers. Let’s not forget the trees that change color in fall, like maples and oaks, and provide piles of crunchy leaves to jump in.

Yes, kids love trees, and that’s a good thing because trees are so very important in many ways. They remove carbon dioxide from the air we breathe, filter water, slow flooding, provide shade, support wildlife, and supply food and even medicines. My hope is that kids will take their love for and fascination with trees into adulthood and always appreciate them and find ways to protect them and our environment. In the meantime, picture books, like the ones I’m sharing today, will help kids love trees even more.

Hello, Trees is a lyrical story that follows a little girl through the seasons from spring to winter and back around to spring again. The kind, unnamed girl clearly cares about trees and has many questions that show her concern for their wellbeing. She wonders if they have souls. She compares their trunks and roots and branches to bodies, legs, and arms. And she asks if they feel pain or cold. The text is simple yet thought provoking, and it also evokes emotions, such as happiness and sadness. The illustrations are charming and full of life. As the seasons change, we see leaves just beginning to sprout in spring, branches overflowing with green leaves in summer, fall-colored leaves in autumn (as in the picture below), and bare trees surrounded by snow in winter. Along the way, we meet an abundance of insects, birds, and squirrels. On a couple of spreads, the girl shares names of trees she knows, like pine and willow, and some with strange sounding names, like wisteria and rainbow eucalyptus. Overall, this is a lovely book to share with the tree lovers in your family.

Image from Hello, Trees/copyright © 2023 by Bailey Bezuidenhout and Maria Lebedeva

Back cover blurb: This is a book about trees. Do trees have souls? Why do they have such wrinkly skin? Do they smile? And how do they feel about birds’ nests in their branches? Let’s find out.

Tree Spirits is a fun, interactive picture book that also asks questions and introduces emotions and features cute animals, but in a very different way from the first book. Simple, rhyming text and color photos of various trees on each spread encourage kids to use their imaginations as they ask themselves what they see when they look at each tree. Here’s how it works: A tree is pictured on one page, then you turn the page and see the same tree with an illustrated overlay depicting an animal. About 10 different animals are included, such as an alligator, a rabbit (see the cover image above), an octopus, and a horse. Here’s the text that goes with the first tree image below: “Oh my, what have we here? I see five columns standing quite near.” Then, after the child turns the page, they see the next image (second image below), which has an illustrated overlay, and we read: “Could it be a young elephant deep in a funk, crying big tears as they run down his trunk? Little elephant is feeling quite sad.” This book is for tree enthusiasts of all ages, especially those who love to stretch their imaginations, and it’s also a good first introduction for kids to different feelings, including more complicated ones, like eagerness, shyness, and alertness.

It’s worth noting that the reader may not always see the same image in the shape of the tree that the author or illustrator saw (I know I didn’t), and that’s part of the fun! For example, where they saw an alligator, I saw a dinosaur!