The Odd Dog
Awards: Kirkus’s Top 100 Indie Books of 2025, IPPY 2025 (silver)
Retail Price: $19.95 (hardcover), $5.95 Kindle
The Odd Dog is book 1 in a new series about dog ownership by author Leia Barrett and illustrator Shannon McKeon.
This book is carried by Pathway Book Sevice and is available for wholesale orders through Ingram.
Book Title: The Odd Dog
Author: Leia Barrett
Publisher: Stories by Leia
Trim Size: 9×9
Page Count: 40
Special features: Linen cover with foil, double gatefold (watch the 1-minute video at the end of this post to see the double gatefold in action)
Formats available: Dustjacketed linen-wrapped hardback
Layout Style: Illustrated Children’s Book
Book Description:
A Funny, Sweet Story About Finding Where You Belong
In The Odd Dog, our furry friend leaves her wild park home to live with a family for the first time. She learned many things in nature, but her skills cause problems at home. Follow along as she discovers how to fit in!
Illustrator: Shannon McKeon
Editor: Laura Bontje
Proofreader: Robin Larin
Book Designer: Melinda Martin (that’s me!)
Body Font: Text set in American Typewriter I (an homage to Snoopy)
Display Lettering: Ginger Martin
Designer's Notes
Sometimes you just know, right? And with The Odd Dog, I just knew.
But this would only work if I could get the author to take the trust fall with me.
Sometimes they don’t.
Sometimes they are so emotionally attached to their story that they are unable to see the story through the eyes of someone else, specifically children who are fresh to the discovery of life and the wide world that awaits them.
When the author isn’t open to exploring perspectives and the balance of what makes a great picture book, they end up with a book that saturates its audience of buyers pretty quickly.
Leia said yes.
She said yes to making The Odd Dog the best book it could possibly be.
We rewrote, revised, stared at, and sat with the manuscript until it was chef’s kiss.
And we tackled each page, each impactful moment, and each decision with the same vigor.
I hope you love The Odd Dog as much as we do.
Character Sketch
The Odd Dog is based on Leia’s real-life rescue dog, Layla, and we originally used Layla as a reference.
However, while Layla is cute and odd with her long body and Schnauzer face, I knew she wasn’t quite odd enough.
We had to go…odder, and Leia had to agree to take the journey with Shannon (the illustrator) and me.
I asked Shannon to create an Odd Dog so I could present the new direction to Leia.
Leia approved and we set out to make Odd the perfect level of odd.
Interior Layout
With such a fun, messy, and odd character, we needed to make sure he was the star of every page (except one).
Inspired by the amazing art detail that graced the picture books I grew up with in combination with the experience of reading “Big,” the Caldecott-Medal winning book by Vashti Harrison and team, I went back to Leia with a new idea: Let’s do a double gatefold.
And, once again, she said yes.
She said yes to making The Odd Dog the best experience it could be.
Leia crowd-funded this book with Backerkit (and hit 136% of her goal!), and one of the options was to get your dog drawn into the book.
She also ran an Odd Dog contest, which had us all falling in love with odd dogs across the world.
There were two winners, and they were featured in the book on the double gatefold page. Introducing Koda the Canine Yoda and Waylon the Cardigan-Pembroke Corgi mix.
Storyboarding
The author and I work on which text will go on which page, and I make notes to the illustrator. Sometimes we have specific requests, and other times she is free to create as she is led. At this stage, everything is done in rough sketches, because there will be revision requests.
Line Art
Color
After the line art has been approved, we submit any revision requests, then we sign-off on the interior’s core art and start on color decisions.
End Pages Design
Shannon drew an assortment of dog toys, food bowls, and one super cute frog for me to use in the creation of the end pages.
I’ve never opted for end pages with a black background before, but I’m thrilled with how these turned out.
The first end page design is all about recognizing those dogs who have crossed the rainbow bridge.
The last end page design includes names from the people who supported this specific Backerkit reward tier.
The rainbow collar is seen again on the double gatefold page. Everyone who supported a specific Backerkit tier had their dog added to this spread. The dogs with the rainbow collars represent dogs who have crossed the rainbow bridge.
Cover Design
Reviews
The Odd Dog is perfect for kids who love animals, for families who have adopted pets, and for anyone who enjoys a feel-good story about being true to yourself. It’s fun, heartfelt, and just the right amount of quirky. If you’re looking for a book with warmth, humor, and a great message, this one’s a winner. —Literary Titan
A friendly dog with unique talents discovers the joy of being loved for just being herself in Barrett’s picture book.
Before winding up at the animal shelter, an unnamed dog has made friends with—and has essentially been raised by—the animals around her. The birds taught her to “fly” (with wings made of leaves); the fish, how to swim (with snorkeling gear); and the squirrels, how to climb (“Sort of”). But when the dog shows her new adoptive parents all her talents, it simply comes across as destructive—she knocks over potted plants, swims in the fish tank, and destroys dinner while attempting to climb the tablecloth. Instead of getting mad, her loving mom and dad introduce her to a dog park where she can show off her skills any time she wants. It’s then she realizes that it’s “not always easy being an odd dog. But it helps when you find where you belong.” McKeon’s bright watercolors bring the dog’s whimsical world to life. Many of the four-legged creatures are slightly anthropomorphized; a four-page spread shows dogs at play in the park in unexpected ways—including holding a parasol while relaxing in a pool. Barrett’s prose remains light and comical even while addressing profound themes of love, acceptance, and adoption. The interplay between the text and illustrations draws out the best in both, resulting in a well-rounded story that is also a delight for the eyes.
Irresistibly adorable illustrations and heartwarming humor. —Kirkus Reviews
