Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby

Episode Title: Sophie Blackall, IF WE WERE DOGS
Release Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Sophie Blackall

Episode Overview

This episode features a warm and insightful conversation between Zibby Owens and celebrated author-illustrator Sophie Blackall. The center of their discussion is Sophie’s latest picture book, If We Were Dogs, which delves into childhood friendships through imaginative play. They also explore Sophie’s creative process, the power and importance of picture books, fostering community among artists, and the role childhood reading plays in inspiring lifelong creativity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Inspiration and Origins of If We Were Dogs

• Three Stories Spark the Book

  • A Candid Encounter with a Child:
    • Sophie shares meeting a nine-year-old, who revealed her anxieties about making friends at a new school and her plan to get “dog everything” to showcase her love for dogs.
    • “She had this plan, and I thought, this is amazing. This is gold.” (02:16 – 02:34)
  • Diesel the Farm Dog:
    • Inspiration struck from Diesel, an exuberant golden retriever near Sophie’s Catskills home, whose joy and presence deeply influenced the energetic ‘big dog’ character in the book.
    • “Diesel owns the valley...he's irrepressible, but adorable.” (02:35 – 03:20)
  • Observing Dogs and Kids in Prospect Park:
    • She noticed parallels between dog parks and children’s playgrounds, especially those who prefer quieter activities amidst chaos.
    • This reflection merged with personal events: Sophie’s husband’s unexpected heart surgery and the emotional limbo she experienced while caring for him.

• Writing as Solace During Crisis

  • While caring for her husband in the hospital, Sophie found herself unable to work on her adult memoir, but comforted by illustrating and developing If We Were Dogs.
  • “I couldn't do it in hospital. But what I could do was this book that popped into my head...” (05:27 – 05:45)

The Book’s Core: Friendship and Finding One’s Voice

• The story features two children (or dogs) in imaginative play. One, a dominant ‘idea person’, and the other, who eventually asserts their own ideas.
• It’s about recognizing and negotiating friendship dynamics, learning to assert oneself, and feeling heard.
• Sophie observes how deeply and instinctively children connect to these dynamics, sharing heartwarming interactions from her school visits:
  • “Kids get this completely... I look out at an auditorium of a thousand children, and they're all making this sign, which is, I know this. I agree with you.” (08:44 – 09:31)
• The narrative intentionally keeps the relationship ambiguous—they could be siblings or friends, making it widely relatable for children.

Sophie’s Artistic and Writing Approach

• Art Comes First:
  • For this book, the visual concept appeared before the narrative—she drew two dogs at a table and the story grew from there.
  • Support from her editor was crucial:
    • “To have an editor who has that much faith and confidence that you will figure it out is a great gift.” (07:29 – 07:38)
• Grappling with the Creative Process:
  • Sophie describes wrestling with her projects as ultimately rewarding:
    • “The grappling...it gets me in that world for a little bit longer and I get to stay there.” (06:44 – 06:59)
• Collaboration
  • She discusses the different energy of illustrating her own texts versus collaborating with other authors, highlighting the joy of creative partnership, particularly referencing Kate DiCamillo.
  • “Sometimes doing all of it myself, I can become paralyzed...so to have one part of it already set...can be freeing and exciting.” (12:34 – 12:51)

Building Creative Community: Milkwood Residency

• Sophie and her husband established Milkwood, a creative retreat on a former dairy farm, responding to a need for in-person, deep dialogue in the children’s literary community.
  • “I yearned for a place where we could sit around a table and have the kind of in-depth, protracted conversation that can last days...” (15:32 – 16:02)
• The retreat, now in its fifth year, welcomes writers, illustrators, educators, and librarians from across the globe, emphasizing the value of analog conversation and collegial bonding.
• Milkwood also offers a library of 5,000 picture books as inspiration.

Picture Books: Lasting Power and Early Literacy

• Sophie is passionate about the importance of picture books for children of all ages, countering the push to transition to chapter books too early.
  • “Picture books are a child's favorite first immersion into a world of art...And children will gravitate to reading the same book over and over again.” (24:03 – 24:37)
• She underscores that rereading fosters vocabulary retention and a safe space for children to engage with new ideas and comfort.

Cultivating Connection and Joy

• Books act as bridges between people and generations; small, real conversations (even on the subway) matter.
  • “It seems to be a real effort to make that happen now. And maybe it does mean that we have to go to a retreat or come to something like this...to keep it human and to keep talking to each other.” (20:49 – 21:16)
• Sophie’s anecdotes with children—like the child who wants to be an eagle to eat worms—highlight the boundless imagination picture books encourage.
  • “If we have books early on and if we continue to read...those books that give us the right to dream as grown ups, are imprinted on us, and we're imprinted on them.” (24:40 – 25:25)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Kids and Relatable Stories:

  • “Kids get this completely...they're all making this sign, which is, I know this. I agree with you.” (09:11 — Sophie Blackall)

• On Creative Confidence:

  • “I just have this perhaps unearned faith and confidence that I will solve it in the end.” (06:46 — Sophie Blackall)

• On Gifts and Lunch:

  • “Lunch is always good. And bring me three stories.” (11:56 — Sophie Blackall)

• On Books as Lifelong Companions:

  • “The earliest books in our lives give us the right to dream for the rest of our lives.” (23:18 — Sophie Blackall, referencing Maira Kalman)

• Charming Child’s Logic:

  • “A five year old told me that she would be an eagle...because then I could eat worms.” (21:51 – 22:11 — Sophie Blackall)

Noteworthy Timestamps

• 02:16 – 03:20: Sophie recounts the real-life inspirations behind If We Were Dogs.
• 05:27 – 05:45: Sophie describes how her husband's medical emergency shaped her writing.
• 08:14 – 09:51: The friendship at the story’s heart and how kids respond to it.
• 11:39 – 12:23: Sophie describes how a supportive editor helped her start writing her own stories.
• 13:32 – 13:51: The joys and freedom of collaborating versus working solo.
• 15:32 – 16:17: Sophie on Milkwood and the importance of communal, in-depth dialogue in the arts.
• 20:37 – 21:16: Ways to foster real-life community and human connection in a digital age.
• 21:51 – 22:11: The eagle-and-worms anecdote – the delight of childlike creativity.
• 24:03 – 25:25: Sophie’s advocacy for picture books and their lasting impact.

Episode Tone & Atmosphere

The episode is intimate, reflective, and brimming with admiration—for children’s imaginations, collaborative friendships, and the transformative power of stories. Sophie’s warmth and humor (plenty of references to cake and lunch) make the conversation accessible and encouraging to both creators and readers. Zibby’s thoughtful prompts guide the interview with genuine affection for Sophie’s work and its place in her own family’s life.

Future Projects

• Sophie hints at numerous new works in progress, including her still-developing adult memoir and an art project inspired by the sea (“cyanometer” — to measure the blues of the ocean).
  • “I am still grappling with the grown up book, which is such a lovely place to grapple because it's about the sea and it's a love story, and so I get to just return to the sea.” (25:41)

Final Moments

• The conversation closes with mutual appreciation and lighthearted wishes to meet again—next time with cake, not at a hospital—echoing the value of joy, togetherness, and small daily pleasures.

Summary prepared for readers who want to connect quickly and deeply to this thoughtful episode, rich in storytelling, creativity, personal resilience, and the enduring importance of children’s literature.