A Pack of Your Own

Illustrated by Maria Nilsson Thore
Translated by Annie Prime
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Paperback
$10.99 US
| $14.99 CAN
On sale Mar 03, 2026 | 48 Pages | 9781782695325
Age 5-7 years | Grades K-2

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A delightful picture book about a lonely dachshund struggling to fit in and the heartwarming value of friendship and acceptance.

A lonely dachshund dreams of having a friend, but every time the little sausage dog goes to the park they find it hard to fit in. They can only watch the other dogs playing and having fun. Until one day, a friend comes along...

A Pack of Your Own is a warm and funny story about friendship in a dog's world. With exquisitely sweet illustrations, readers are invited  to ask themselves questions about friendship. How much should one adapt in order to be accepted and valued by others? Do we really need to be similar in order to be friends? And can a dachshund and a poodle be friends despite their differences?
"The simplicity of Thore’s writing allows the intensity of the narrator’s emotions to shine. Grayscale pencil illustrations with limited touches of color have plenty of fine details that reward repeated reading. A charming ode to the joy of new friendship"
—Kirkus Reviews

“The unique art, distinctive canine protagonist, and touching theme about not needing to change to be worthy of friendship will make this picture book a memorable hit at storytime.”
The Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books
Maria Nilsson Thore is an award-winning Swedish children's author and illustrator who lives in Stockholm with her dachsund Tics. A Pack of Your Own is the first of her books to be translated into English.

About the Translator:
A.A. Prime is an award-winning translator from Swedish to English. Her previous translations for Pushkin Children’s include Maria Turtschaninoff’s Red Abbey Chronicles trilogy.

Educator Guide for A Pack of Your Own

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

About

A delightful picture book about a lonely dachshund struggling to fit in and the heartwarming value of friendship and acceptance.

A lonely dachshund dreams of having a friend, but every time the little sausage dog goes to the park they find it hard to fit in. They can only watch the other dogs playing and having fun. Until one day, a friend comes along...

A Pack of Your Own is a warm and funny story about friendship in a dog's world. With exquisitely sweet illustrations, readers are invited  to ask themselves questions about friendship. How much should one adapt in order to be accepted and valued by others? Do we really need to be similar in order to be friends? And can a dachshund and a poodle be friends despite their differences?

Reviews

"The simplicity of Thore’s writing allows the intensity of the narrator’s emotions to shine. Grayscale pencil illustrations with limited touches of color have plenty of fine details that reward repeated reading. A charming ode to the joy of new friendship"
—Kirkus Reviews

“The unique art, distinctive canine protagonist, and touching theme about not needing to change to be worthy of friendship will make this picture book a memorable hit at storytime.”
The Bulletin of the Centre for Children’s Books

Author

Maria Nilsson Thore is an award-winning Swedish children's author and illustrator who lives in Stockholm with her dachsund Tics. A Pack of Your Own is the first of her books to be translated into English.

About the Translator:
A.A. Prime is an award-winning translator from Swedish to English. Her previous translations for Pushkin Children’s include Maria Turtschaninoff’s Red Abbey Chronicles trilogy.

Guides

Educator Guide for A Pack of Your Own

Classroom-based guides appropriate for schools and colleges provide pre-reading and classroom activities, discussion questions connected to the curriculum, further reading, and resources.

(Please note: the guide displayed here is the most recently uploaded version; while unlikely, any page citation discrepancies between the guide and book is likely due to pagination differences between a book’s different formats.)

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