Isabel Allende’s first children’s book was inspired by her dog

This year, Chilean author Isabel Allende embarked on a new adventure: publishing her first children’s book.

“I like to write long novels, generational sagas, eventful historical novels. These are not suitable for this age,” she said in an interview in Spanish.

“I’ve learned that I don’t have to write everything down. If I don’t tell it, the illustration will.”

This year she published her book entitled “Perla, The Mighty Dog” or “Perla, la súper perrita” simultaneously in English and Spanish. It is a story about the friendship between a boy and his dog Perla. It was illustrated by Sandy Rodríguez.

Allende was inspired by a frequent visitor, her three-year-old neighbor Camila, who is always looking for a good story. And also by her dog Perla, who has been her pet for about nine years and who has taught her the value of good company and love.

It is Perla who saves the main character of this story, Nico Rico, a boy who learns to defend himself thanks to his pet. Perla has two superpowers: “She makes people love her and she roars like a lion.”

Read this story in Spanish, here

Avid readers of Allende always expect a spark of fantasy in her writing, but this is an exception, she says: It is a true story and she was a witness to Perla’s superpowers.

But it’s hard not to sense a certain magical element in her writing. Allende said Perla told her the story “in her woooo language” and she just translated it.

With Perla, Allende wants to teach children that they can defend themselves against everyday tyrants.

Allende says one of her intentions for the book was to address bullying as an issue. It’s a conversation that affects children, she said, but “children don’t usually talk about it.”

She hopes that this will encourage parents and teachers to start asking children if they have ever experienced something like this before or are currently going through it.

“Children of any ethnicity can suffer from bullying, even if they have a dog, cat or other animal they love and trust,” she said.

“The idea is to learn empathy from animals and to open our hearts. The relationship between a child and a pet is extraordinary and I believe it lasts a lifetime.”

Allende admits that it’s difficult to develop a reading habit at home while maintaining a work-life balance, but small moments can show children that reading is an act of love.

“Sit them on your lap and show them the book and the drawings so that children associate reading with attention and affection.”