Cover of a children's book titled "Grace Builds an Almost-Perfect Dog" showing a young girl sitting with a book open on her lap, hugging a large, brown, fluffy dog, and surrounded by tools and wires.

Written By Curtis Manley & Illustrated by Tracy Subisak

Grace Builds An Almost-Perfect Dog

A girl builds and programs a robot dog in this heartwarming STEM-based picture book perfect for fans of THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

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About this book

Grace can’t have a real dog, so she takes matters into her own hands. She builds a robot dog named Kit!

Grace codes him to behave like the perfect dog. Kit follows her instructions perfectly.

He rolls over perfectly, every time.

He plays fetch perfectly, every single time.

But Grace soon discovers that maybe following the rules perfectly doesn’t make the perfect pet . . .

Great for aspiring builders and coders, GRACE BUILDS AN ALMOST-PERFECT DOG is a tender tale about the power of friendship and determination.

The details

RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

AGES: 4-10

PAGES: 40

FORMAT: Hardcover

PUBLISHER: Roaring Book Press, Macmillan

ISBN-13: 9781250168238

Look Inside

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Close-up view of a string of white cursive letters spelling 'Happy birthday to you' on a black background.
Close-up view of a string of white cursive letters spelling 'Happy birthday to you' on a black background.

Praise

  • "Grace’s solution-oriented attitude, determination, and grit will inspire other coders and dreamers, and the happy ending will please dog-lovers."

    — Booklist

  • "Brimming with oodles of doggy affection, as well as useful pointers for young programmers."

    — Kirkus Reviews

Multiple beige or light brown seaweed strands or ribbons against a dark background.
Multiple beige or light brown seaweed strands or ribbons against a dark background.

Resources For Educators & Readers

An activity sheet titled "Design Activity" for kids to design their own almost-perfect dog. There is an illustration of a girl reading a comic book called "Robots and Dogs" in the top right corner. The sheet has a large rectangular box for drawing, and at the bottom, there are small illustrations of a bone, pliers, colorful dog leashes, and dog collars. The page includes spaces for the child's name and the artists' names, Curtis Manley and Tracy Subisak.

Design Activity

Ding Dong! Your new dog just came in the mail!Design your own almost-perfect dog.

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A young girl with short curly hair is interacting with a sitting dog. She is holding a folder or book in her left hand and extending her right hand towards the dog. The scene is outlined in black and white, with a decorative border around the picture. The text on the top indicates it is a coloring activity titled 'Grace Builds an Almost-Perfect Dog.'

Coloring Activity

Bring Grace and her almost-perfect dog to life with this printable coloring activity.

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A guide with five silhouette icons of a dog in different positions: sitting, taking a nap, rolling over, fetching, and hugging, alongside corresponding commands.

Coding Activity

Explore the basics of coding by creating new commands and actions for Kit, Grace’s robot dog.

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Tracy Subisak with short dark hair smiling outdoors in front of a grassy area, trees, a river, and a bridge in the background, holding a sign that reads 'Jenny Mei Is Sad' and several books or pamphlets.

About Tracy

Tracy Subisak is the mixed-Taiwanese American author and illustrator of Sorry, Snail and award-winning Jenny Mei Is Sad. She has also illustrated many picture books including The Inactivity Book, written by Kyo Maclear and Amah Faraway, written by Margaret Chiu Greanias. Her books have been featured in publications such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and PBS Books. Tracy currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her family and copious amounts of plants.

MORE ABOUT TRACY