When we had a horse farm, one of the neighborhood kids to whom I was giving riding lessons, asked if I could only have one animal what would it be. I’m pretty sure she thought I’d say a horse, but I told her a dog. Horses are wonderful creatures and very near to my heart, but you can’t cuddle with them on the sofa or the bed. Cats are also good pets, but they don’t relate to humans the way dogs do. Plus, I’ve had dogs most of my life.
First my family had cocker spaniels, a beagle and a basset hound, and a standard poodle who was a wonderful retriever.
When my handsome devil and I got married we got the children a Llewellyn setter puppy from the pound. The kids named him Ashley, because he was English, and we all adored him, as did the kitten we adopted at the same time. He lived for fourteen years, accompanying us from Alabama to two different houses in Maryland and finally to the horse farm.
Our next dog, Jazz’s Double Dutch, was a beautiful chocolate-brown Labrador retriever. He was very smart and lived his eleven years to the fullest. He adored children, but was not fond of most other dogs.
Our last dog was a German Shorthair Pointer, named Dawn’s Border Patrol, but we called him Jake. He loved everybody and welcomed our new kitten with a tongue bath. But most importantly, he was a spectacular hunting dog.
So I thought I’d treat you to reviews of dog books.
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First up is a picture book about a basset hound that lives on a ranch. Bassets have very mournful eyes and droopy ears. When they are puppies their ears are too long for their legs, so they frequently step on their ears. Or the ear tips end up dipping into the puppy’s feed bowl and then leave a trail when the dog is finished.
Charlie the Ranch Dog
Ree Drummond
Illustrated by Diane deGroat
Charlie-the-Bassett-Hound lives on a ranch with his friend and helper, Suzie-the-Jack-Russell-Terrier. Where Charlie’s ears almost drag the ground as he ambles about on his stubby legs, Suzie’s ears sit high on her head as she bounces around on her short legs. And paws; why Charlie’s are big to support his weight and long body, but Suzie’s are trim and give her more spring to her stride. Charlie forgives Suzie her flaws and tries to keep her out of trouble. Suzie can jump much better than Charlie, not to mention dig and run better. Charlie doesn’t hold that against her either. Charlie means to get up early to help with the chores, but Suzie beats him to the punch. The story continues telling of Charlie being a bit late for all of his chores, which Suzie does for him. The thing Charlie does best is eat his breakfast, especially if there is bacon involved. But in the end, Charlie does save the day—or at least the garden—by chasing the cows out. Children may not understand the tongue-in-cheek tone to this story, but they will like the pictures and the grown-ups will get a chuckle while reading it.
BIBLIO: 2011, Harper/HarperCollins Children’s Books/HarperCollins Publishers, Ages 4 to 8, $16.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Picture Book
ISBN: 978-0-06-199655-9
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Have you ever seen a Saint Bernard in person? They’re so big a small child could probably ride on one. Their coats are luxuriously thick, like a cushiony rug to cuddle with for a nap.
Dogs in the Dead of Night
Mary Pope Osborne
Number 46 in the “Magic Tree House: A Merlin Mission” series is about St. Bernards who rescue stranded travelers in Switzerland. Annie and Jack are tasked with finding a rare flower to help friends reverse a spell. So they go to their magic tree house and read the message their friends have left them: find a special yellow and white flower and live its meaning for an hour. The book they’re to use is about the Swiss Alps, in particular the Saint Bernard Pass. But when they get there, all they find is snow and mountains. Jack is sure they’ll never find the flower and to make matters worse they are caught in an avalanche. They are rescued by a Saint Bernard trained by a group of monks who breed the dogs. To repay the monks, Annie helps train an exuberant pup, Barry, and in the end the two children become Saint Bernard dogs for an hour by drinking the magic elixir they’d been given. This way they can find Barry who ran off after being scolded for destroying a book. They have a grand time as the dogs, find Barry and rescue a soldier from Napoléon Bonaparte’s army. While they’re dogs, they explain to Barry how he must behave, winning the gratitude of the monks. One of them gives Jack and Annie a dried yellow and white flower. They get home in time to be ready for school. A nice way to teach a little history to kids, this story is fast paced and entertaining.
BIBLIO: 2011, Random House Children’s Books/Random House, Inc., Ages 7 to 9, $12.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Chapter Book
ISBN: 978-0-375-86824-5
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And finally we have a story about Great Pyrenees—another large breed good at rescuing people in the snow. In a neighboring town when I was growing, a family had such a dog. I remember one summer day riding with my older brother in the family car. We stopped at a stop sign and the next thing we knew a shaggy white head poked through Richard’s rolled down window to say hello. He still had all four feet planted on the ground. Another gentle giant.
White Fur Flying
Patricia MacLachlan
This is a charmer of a story about the power of dogs to help heal an emotionally wounded boy who moves in across a small field. But it’s also the story of the need to rescue and nurture abandoned animals—in this case Great Pyrenees, who come with mounds of fluffy white hair. At first the boy, Phillip, won’t speak to anyone, but soon he starts talking to the dogs and bonds with a newly rescued pup named Jack. When Jack runs away in the middle of a rainy night, Phillip goes off to find him. Zoë, the story’s narrator, knows where to look for both of them. Phyllis, the woman taking care of Phillip, panics and feels it’s all her fault that Phillip ran off. Zoë does find Phillip and Jack asleep in a barn full of hay and falls asleep herself. When she awakes, Phillip is talking up a storm. Then Zoë’s mom comes in with the family’s dog and they all walk home together. Turns out Phyllis isn’t the prickly pear everyone thought her to be and even lets the dogs sleep on her beautiful velvet-covered sofa. The only quibble with the book is the setting. It is hard to tell how much property Zoë’s family owns, because they can see Phillip’s house across the field and stream quite clearly, but somewhere abutting Zoë’s property are cow and horse pastures. Still, this is such a lovely story, don’t let the setting keep you from reading it.
BIBLIO: 2014 (orig. 2013,) Margaret K, McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division/ Simon & Schuster, Ages 7 to 9, $5.99.
REVIEWER: Sarah Maury Swan
FORMAT: Chapter Book
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2171-4
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2172-1
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2173-8
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I’d love to hear what your favorite animal is. Is it a snake, or a lizard, or a frog, or a llama, or a cat or a dog? Thanks for reading my blog, Sarah.
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