To Be With You
by Dave Gunning
illustrated by Meaghan Smith
Nimbus Publishing, 2025
ISBN 978-1-77471-405-8 $13.95, 27 pp, ages 4 – 8
nimbus.ca
This book is based on the popular song of the same name, sung by Canadian folk musician Dave Gunning. For anyone lucky enough to have a loving family dog, the sentiments expressed in this delightful book will be well understood. The dogs in each picture lovingly search, frolic, and cuddle with a child who the artist skillfully paints just at the edge of each illustration. The soft, misty background colours lend a dream-like quality as the song’s words speak of the dog’s yearning for love and attention. Whether it’s chasing butterflies or leaping to burst soap bubbles, being held in a cuddle, or bringing a raincoated child its leash, these dogs radiate happiness. The words are few, simple, in a large font, and easily read or sung. The artwork is whimsical and imaginative with muted colours and simple details. To Be With You is a book that can be read to a very young child or an older primary school student and will guarantee a smile.
Classroom Connections: This book can be sung and enjoyed as both a song and a story. It will elicit many stories from young children about the pets in their lives and the activities they do together. Since the book shows a variety of dogs, a fun activity might be to use a Venn diagram to show what they have in common and what sets them apart. This book shows dogs’ delight and happiness, and can be a starting point for a discussion of what makes people or animals happy. A discussion like this can be a prompting activity for children to write their own happy story, which is always a positive classroom experience when these stories are shared with their classmates.
Review by Betty Schultze.
This review is featured in Canadian Teacher Magazine’s Spring 2026 issue.
