Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic

I got the idea from the news -- I was home from work, getting dinner ready while listening to NPR, and heard the news about the rescue of a dog on the Baltic sea. I had missed the news on the day it happened. What I heard was an update, letting listeners know that Baltic, the dog that had been rescued by a research ship on the Baltic Sea had been adopted by a member of the crew.

Because this book is based on a true story, I made sure to read all I could about the real Baltic and the actual rescue. I found video recordings that the crew had done with Polish television stations and had them translated into English. It was exciting to hear what they had to say! There were also videos showing parts of the rescue. Researchers from the Polish Institute of Meteorology and Water Management who were aboard the ship graciously provided me with pictures taken before and after the rescue. I also looked for pictures of the R/V Baltica, the research ship that rescued Baltic.

A lot of changes happened during the writing/editing process -- the story was real, but coming up with the right voice to tell it and with the right pacing took many versions. Writing and illustrating a picture book is a very collaborative process. One example is the scene when Baltic finds himself alone on the ice floe at night. I originally planned to show him by himself, looking at the moon. I felt the image captured Baltic’s isolation, but when I met with my editor and art director they suggested a different approach: the use of panels to better depict the passage of time and Baltic’s loneliness. So I went back to my drawing table and came back with a new sketch for that page, which I think works much better than my original idea. It's one of my favorite pages in the whole book!

After I heard the story on the news I couldn't stop thinking about Baltic and the crew that rescued him. The story stayed with me because it is such a wonderful reminder of the power of kindness. And that's what I think is the primary message of this book: how a brave little dog found the strength to stay afloat on an ice floe against all odds, and how the crew of a ship did all it could to save him. It is such an uplifting tale of courage and empathy.