Enjoy the Little Things: A Bernese Mountain Dog’s Montana Adventure is a children’s picture book written by my mother, Debbie McCrary, and illustrated by yours truly.
From the back cover:
Join Bulochka the Bernese mountain dog on her journey of overcoming fears and finding her good life in the mountains of Montana.
Her story tells of her arrival from Ukraine as a big, scared 7-month old puppy who goes on to embrace an adventurous life in the Montana mountains, finding love and trust in her special person and family.
Bulochka’s adventures include Glacier National Park, huckleberry picking, Yellowstone National Park, the Yellowstone River, the Kootenai Falls swinging bridge, hiking and paddling adventures, and many more.
Behind-the-scenes + the heart of this story:
In early 2021, we saw a photo online of a Bernese Mountain Dog puppy in Ukraine in need of a home, and we fell in love. Things fell into place, and we brought that positively adorable 7-month-old puppy home. Her Ukrainian name was Bulochka, and we decided to keep it the same. Bulochka was a bit traumatized after being separated from her Ukrainian family and then going on a very long flight to the United States. But she warmed up to Mama right away.
Now, over five years later, Bulochka still wants to follow Mama everywhere, but she’s no longer the scared puppy we met at the San Francisco airport. Bulochka loves her life in Montana. Her favorite things to do are go on walks and hikes in the woods. She also loves picking huckleberries, going to the lake, and tagging along on whatever adventures our family heads out on. My family and I are convinced she’s one of the best dogs in the world. In fact, we love her so much that we’ve kept three of her puppies!
Writing a children’s book of Bulochka’s story has been a dream of Mama’s for several years now. But it’s not just the story of a dog coming from Ukraine to Montana. This children’s book is a reminder for all of us–young and old–to “enjoy the little things” and remember that “life is beautiful.”
How often do we get so busy, rushing around from one thing to the next, and forget to stop and “enjoy the little things”?
A sunrise or sunset.
The beauties of nature–trees and grass and flowers and mountains and wildlife.
A cup of tea (or coffee, if that’s what you prefer. I will always drink tea.)
Good food.
A conversation with a family member or friend.
Yes, there’s darkness and suffering in this world. But there’s still so much beauty to be found, too!
May we not get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life or weighed down by the darkness of the world, that we forget to stop and savor the beauties of life!
“We see the glory of God when we delight in, reflect upon, and enjoy the world He has created.”
-Thomas Shreiner
“It is not how much we have but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.”
–Charles Spurgeon
That’s the heart behind this book my mother wrote that I was so happy to be able to illustrate! Writing this book was a dream of Mama’s for years, and my dream since I was a wee little lass has been to illustrate books! Eventually, God led me to start writing books, and I illustrated my own books, but that desire to illustrate books for other authors was still there, and it turned out that the first other author I illustrated a book for was my mother!
It was also neat that this was a mother-daughter project for me and my mother, and my dog, Brielle, is the daughter of Bulochka, the dog whom this book is about!
The illustrations are based on photos of our family’s Montana adventures. I created them entirely by hand. First, I sketched it out with a pencil, then I traced the outline with a Micron pen, and then I added color using a combination of Tombow Dual Brush Pens, watercolors, and acrylic paint.
Here are a few of the photos alongside my illustrations:
Creating these illustrations was truly such a joy!
The book is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other major retailers. And we’re also selling signed copies on our online store!
What people are saying:
“This was such a cute story for children! I enjoyed reading it even as an adult and the pictures are just splendid–really eye catching. I loved how we got to travel all around the lovely state of Montana and see all sorts interesting places from Bulochka’s point of view.
It is very well written. One of the things I like the most is how the author told a children’s story without talking down to the children listening. It’s easy enough to understand without being simplified to death as many children’s stories are. Smart stories make for smart children.”
-H.C. Kingsley, author of The House on Hope Creek
“Oh, this was darling. All the pictures are lovely, and it’s so cool that they were inspired by real adventures!”
-Phoebe Hinkle, author of We Gave Our Tomorrows
Where can I buy this book?
It’s available on Amazon, as well as Barnes & Noble and other major retailers. And you can order signed hardcover copies from our online store!
Savannah Jane McCrary 