To Dogs, with Love

by Maria Gianferrari

A heartfelt love letter to dogs everywhere — the ones who wait, the ones who play, and the ones who love us unconditionally.

Big Idea

The bond between people and dogs is a story of loyalty, joy, and unconditional love.

Discussion Questions

1.What makes dogs such good companions?
2.How do dogs show love?
3.What would you say to a dog in a love letter?
4.How do animals help people?

Classroom Activity

Love Letter to a Pet

Write a love letter to a pet — yours or one you wish you had. Include three things you love about them.

Lesson Plan

⏱ 45 minutes📦 To Dogs, with Love by Maria Gianferrari, chart paper, markers, writing paper, pencils, crayons or colored pencils, optional letter templates

Learning Goals

Identify ways dogs show loyalty, bring joy, and share love in To Dogs, with Love.
Use details from the words and illustrations to describe the bond between people and dogs.
Compose or dictate a love letter to a real or imagined pet that includes three specific things to appreciate about them.
Express affection and gratitude through words and an illustration.

Activity Steps

1.Read To Dogs, with Love aloud. Pause to notice dogs waiting, playing, and showing affection. Ask: “How do these dogs show love? How do people show love back?”
2.Create a class chart titled “Things We Love About Pets.” Invite students to suggest actions or qualities inspired by the book, such as keeping someone company, being playful, or offering comfort.
3.Have students choose their own pet, a pet they know, or one they wish they had. Ask them to sketch the pet and brainstorm three specific things they love about it.
4.Model a short letter with a greeting, three appreciation statements, and a closing: “Dear ___, I love you because ___. I also love ___. Thank you for ___. Love, ___.” Students write independently, use the sentence starters, or dictate to an adult.
5.Invite students to illustrate their letters and share one appreciation statement with a partner. Connect their examples to the book’s themes of loyalty, joy, and love, then collect the letters for a classroom display.

Standards Connections

ELA: RL.K.1–RL.3.1 — Ask and answer questions about the text, using details to support understanding.
ELA: W.K.8–W.3.8 — Recall information from experiences or gather information from sources to answer a question.
ELA: SL.K.1–SL.3.1 — Participate in collaborative conversations about the book and ideas for pet appreciation letters.
SEL: Self-awareness — Identify and express feelings of affection, joy, and gratitude.
SEL: Relationship skills — Practice communicating appreciation and recognizing caring relationships.

Pace-Write-Read Study with Pace-Write It!

Focus question: How does an author slow down and speed up a story to help us feel love and companionship? In To Dogs, with Love by Maria Gianferrari, the author creates a warm, heartfelt tribute to dogs by moving through many dog moments—waiting, playing, comforting, and loving. The pacing shifts between lively action and gentle pauses, helping readers notice both the energy of dogs and the quiet, steady love they give.

Element	How to notice or teach it in the novel
Pace	Read: Notice how To Dogs, with Love moves between energetic dog actions and calm, loving moments. Maria Gianferrari speeds up the book with playful dog behavior and slows it down when the dogs are watching, waiting, or comforting. Classroom Activity: Write 4 short lines about a pet or animal friend—2 fast-action lines and 2 slow, quiet lines—to show changing pace.
Plot	Read: Notice that this book does not follow one big problem-solution plot. Instead, the book builds a sequence of loving dog moments that together create a message about companionship. Classroom Activity: Make a beginning-middle-end chart showing three dog moments from the book, then write your own three-part mini book about acts of love.
Prosody	Read: Listen to how the sentences in To Dogs, with Love sound when read aloud. The loving tone, flowing phrases, and changes in sentence length help the read-aloud feel warm and musical. Classroom Activity: Choose one page idea from the book and rewrite it in a way that sounds smooth and expressive when read aloud.
Word pause	Read: Notice where you naturally stop while reading the loving phrases about dogs who wait, play, and stay close. These small pauses help the feelings sink in. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence to a dog using commas or line breaks to create two meaningful pauses, then read it aloud.
Concept	Read: The big concept in To Dogs, with Love is that dogs show love in many everyday ways. Maria Gianferrari turns ordinary dog actions into a celebration of companionship. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence naming a big idea about dogs or friendship, then list 3 small moments that prove it.
Voice & World View	Read: Notice the admiring, grateful voice in this book. The world view suggests that dogs are loyal companions whose actions deserve attention and appreciation. Classroom Activity: Write a short love letter to an animal or person using a thankful voice, starting with “I notice how you…”
Setting & Place	Read: Notice that the book includes dog experiences that feel familiar across many places—home, walks, play spaces, and cozy resting spots. The broad sense of place helps many readers connect to the dogs’ loving routines. Classroom Activity: Write 3 setting phrases for where a dog shows love, such as at the door, on the rug, or in the yard, then add one sentence for each place.
Point of View	Read: To Dogs, with Love is written as if speaking directly to dogs, like a letter full of affection. This point of view makes the book feel personal and close. Classroom Activity: Write 3 lines directly to a dog using the word “you” in each line.
Original Characters	Read: Even though the book celebrates many kinds of dogs instead of just one named main character, the dogs still feel individual through their actions, expressions, and roles as helpers, players, and friends. Classroom Activity: Invent one dog character inspired by the book and write 3 details that make that dog unique.
Dialogue	Read: Notice that the book focuses more on direct address than on back-and-forth talking. That choice keeps the tone like a love letter instead of a conversation scene. Classroom Activity: Add 2 lines of imagined dialogue for a child speaking to a beloved dog, using the book’s warm tone.
Details	Read: Maria Gianferrari uses small details about what dogs do—waiting, playing, staying near, comforting—to build the book’s message. These concrete details make the love feel true. Classroom Activity: Make a list of 5 tiny things a dog does, then turn 3 of them into vivid sentences.
Descriptions	Read: Notice how the descriptions in To Dogs, with Love help readers picture dogs as active, gentle, joyful companions. The author describes behavior in a way that creates emotion. Classroom Activity: Describe a dog in action and then the same dog at rest, using different words to show two moods.
Strong First Lines	Read: Notice how the opening quickly invites readers into a loving message to dogs. The beginning sets the affectionate tone right away and prepares readers for a tribute. Classroom Activity: Write an opening line for your own love letter book to an animal, making sure it sounds warm from the very first words.
Immediacy & Engagement	Read: The direct address in To Dogs, with Love makes readers feel close to the dogs right away. It feels as if the author is speaking to dogs in the room at this very moment. Classroom Activity: Write 2 sentences that make a reader feel present in a dog moment, starting with “Here you are…” or “Right now…”
Story Scenes & Summaries & Unique Structures	Read: Notice that the book uses a tribute structure, collecting many moments instead of telling one long scene. Some parts feel like quick snapshots, and together they form a complete celebration of dogs. Classroom Activity: Create a page plan for a 4-page class book called “To Pets, with Love,” with each page showing a different snapshot moment.
Flashback & Flash Forward & Cliffhangers	Read: This book does not depend on flashbacks, flash forwards, or cliffhangers. Instead, it keeps readers engaged through recognition, emotion, and one loving moment after another. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence about a dog memory from long ago and one sentence about a future moment with a dog, then compare how each changes the feeling.
Tension & Suspense & Surprise	Read: To Dogs, with Love is gentle rather than suspenseful, but it still keeps interest by showing the many surprising ways dogs care, play, and connect with people. The surprise comes from noticing how much love fits into ordinary moments. Classroom Activity: Write about one surprising thing a dog does that shows love, beginning with “No one expected…”
Page Turns and Chapter Breaks	Read: As a picture book, To Dogs, with Love uses page turns to reveal new dog moments and fresh emotional beats. Each turn helps pace the reading and gives space for readers to pause and look closely. Classroom Activity: Plan a 2-page spread for your own picture book and decide what important word or idea should come before the page turn.
Performance	Read: This book invites expressive reading. A reader can speed up during playful parts and slow down during tender parts to match the dogs’ actions and the loving mood. Classroom Activity: Mark one short passage with arrows for faster and slower reading, then perform it for a partner.
Personality	Read: The dogs in To Dogs, with Love show personality through movement, loyalty, playfulness, and affection. Their personalities shine even without long character backstories. Classroom Activity: Write 4 sentences about a dog’s personality, each showing the trait through action instead of just naming it.
Humor	Read: Notice that the book’s main tone is heartfelt, but dog behavior can also bring smiles because dogs can be playful, silly, and full of energy. Light humor balances the tender mood. Classroom Activity: Write one funny dog moment and one sweet dog moment, then place them in order to create a pleasing pace.
Pause	Read: Notice the moments that make you stop and feel the quiet devotion of the dogs. These pauses help the theme of companionship grow stronger. Classroom Activity: Write a 3-line piece where the middle line is only a few words long to create a pause for feeling.
Poetry and Poetic Devices	Read: To Dogs, with Love has a poetic style, using carefully chosen language, repeated ideas, and emotional imagery to sound like a love letter. The poetic quality helps the pacing feel gentle and meaningful. Classroom Activity: Write 3 poetic lines to a dog using one image from play, one from waiting, and one from comfort.
Repetition	Read: Notice how repeated ideas about dogs loving, waiting, and staying near help unify the book. Repetition gives the text rhythm and reminds readers of the central theme. Classroom Activity: Write a short piece that repeats the words “You are” at the start of 3 lines about a dog.
Rhythm	Read: Listen for how the words in To Dogs, with Love create a steady, affectionate rhythm. The rhythm supports both excited moments and peaceful ones. Classroom Activity: Draft 4 lines about a dog and clap the beat as you read them, revising one line to sound smoother.
Punctuation	Read: Notice how punctuation helps control pacing in a loving read-aloud—commas can slow the line, and ending marks can create a gentle stop. In this book, punctuation supports warmth rather than sharp tension. Classroom Activity: Write one sentence about a dog with commas to slow it down, then rewrite it without commas and discuss the difference.
Questions	Read: Even if the text is mostly a tribute, readers naturally ask questions such as: Which dog moment do I know? How do dogs show love? These questions keep readers engaged with the theme. Classroom Activity: Write 3 questions you would ask a dog from the book, then answer one in a complete sentence.
Compare-Contrast	Read: Notice the contrast between active dog moments and quiet dog moments in To Dogs, with Love. Comparing these side by side helps readers feel the full range of companionship. Classroom Activity: Make a T-chart labeled “Playful” and “Peaceful,” then write a sentence comparing the two sides.
Objects	Read: Think about the objects connected to dog life in the world of the book—leashes, balls, beds, doors, or bowls—and how they can hint at routines, play, and care. Objects help readers picture dog companionship. Classroom Activity: Choose one dog-related object and write 3 sentences showing how it is part of a loving moment.
Threes	Read: Groups of three ideas can sound complete and satisfying in a picture book like To Dogs, with Love. The book’s loving tribute style works well with sets of actions or qualities. Classroom Activity: Write a sentence or poem line with three dog actions, such as “You wait, you wag, you welcome.”
Whitespace & Negative Space	Read: In a picture book, open space around the words and art can slow readers down and give feelings room to grow. In To Dogs, with Love, this kind of breathing space supports the tenderness of the tribute. Classroom Activity: Write a very short 3-line piece and leave space between lines to create a calm, reflective feeling.
Art & Graphics	Read: The illustrations in To Dogs, with Love help show dogs’ movement, closeness, and emotion, adding to the pacing by making some pages feel busy and others restful. Readers learn from both the words and the art. Classroom Activity: Sketch a dog moment from your writing and label 3 visual details that match the mood of your words.
Interactives & Gamification	Read: This book invites interaction by encouraging readers to notice many kinds of dog behaviors and connect them to dogs they know. Students can turn that noticing into a game of finding examples of love and companionship. Classroom Activity: Create a “Dog Love Hunt” checklist with 5 behaviors from the book, then write one sentence about the behavior you think shows the most love.

Pace-Write It!

20-Minute Classroom Flow\nRead (5 min): Read To Dogs, with Love aloud with expression. Pause to let students notice when the book feels fast with playful dog action and when it feels slow and gentle with waiting, resting, or comforting moments.\nNotice (5 min): Ask: “Which pages felt quick? Which pages felt quiet?” Make a class T-chart labeled “Fast Pace” and “Slow Pace.” Add examples such as playing, running, waiting, watching, cuddling, or comforting.\nWrite (7 min): Students write a 4-line love letter poem to a dog or animal friend that changes pace. Writing frame: “Dear ____, / You _____ and _____ . / Then you _____, quiet and close. / I love you because _____.” Encourage students to make line 2 feel fast and line 3 feel slow.\nShare (3 min): Partners read their poems aloud twice—once all at one speed, and once with matched pacing. Partners say which version better showed love and companionship.\nExit ticket: Write one sentence answering: “How did changing the pace of your writing help show feelings?”

Pace-Write-Read Connection

Teach this book using the Pace-Write-Read method — Tool 6: Voice and Worldview.

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