After a (very!) brief foray into the 20s, we're back to zero degrees! But at least it's not (currently) snowing :) And it's not BELOW zero! It's important to keep sight of silver linings :)
Thank goodness for Perfect Picture Book Fridays, where we can enjoy lots of great titles and ignore the weather!
My choice for today is on a more serious topic, but the book is well written - on a level that kids can understand and appreciate without it being scary/upsetting in any way - and I hope you'll enjoy it and find it a useful addition to your libraries.
Written By: Luis Carlos Montalvan & Bret Witter
Photographs By: Dan Dion
Roaring Brook Press, May 2014, Nonfiction
Suitable For Ages: 4-8
Themes/Topics: service/therapy animals, military life, photographic book, love, nonfiction
Opening: "In the morning, every morning, my friend Luis wakes up to . . . this."
Brief Synopsis: After tours in Iraq left him wounded and distressed, Captain Luis Montalvan returned home to a life he was no longer comfortable living. He reached a point where he was afraid to leave his apartment. But a service dog named Tuesday changed everything for him. Tuesday helps Luis with daily tasks, and he calms and comforts Luis by always being there for him. Tuesday has made it possible for Luis to live a rewarding life.
Links To Resources: Facts About Service Dogs for Kids; Wayside Elementary Schools Special Needs Awareness Program (SNAP) (video); discuss how animals make you feel and what they do for you.
Why I Like This Book: Every day, men and women risk their lives overseas for our freedom and way of life. When they return home, it is often difficult to readjust, and to carry on with a life so at odds with what they've seen and survived. This book gives kids a glimpse of the difficulties a soldier might face upon coming home at an appropriate and accessible level. It also shows how the love and care of a therapy animal has the power to change a life. It's written from the point of view of the dog, which makes it friendly and non-threatening. For kids who have a relative or family friend who is a veteran, this book could be very helpful in understanding what they might be going through and in opening a discussion. For any child, this book can encourage empathy and understanding.
For the complete list of books with resources, please visit Perfect Picture Books.
PPBF bloggers please be sure to leave your post-specific link in the list below so we can all come visit you! I can't wait to see what books you're sharing this week!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Maybe Springing forward will give Mother Nature the hint! :)
A dog, or any pet really, can have such healing powers. I like that the book is written from the point of view of the dog.
ReplyDeleteHaving this book told from Tuesday's point of view makes is so very adorable. Children could use a story like this to help open the conversation in helping them understand the sensitive topic of what soldiers endure and how animals can play a part in healing.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter (5th grade) had this read to her in school, I think, and she liked it. Lovely book - great pick, Susanna.
ReplyDeleteI love everything doggy and will have to read this! Man's best friend is a hard worker, too. (I feel your winter pain, Susanna. We got ten inches of fresh snow yesterday and school is closed a second day!)
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a really honest story about military PTSD and the role many fabulous service dogs play. Great choice.
ReplyDeleteWe need more books like this showing how our Vets can be helped back into society. This is a valuable book. Thanks for introducing it to us.
ReplyDeleteWe do have new snow. Nine inches! And when my husband woke up at eight it was zero degrees. Now at eight thirty it is six.. Next week is supposed to be beautiful and warm, like spring. Can't wait. :)
What a great book for kids (and adults) to teach them about the pains our service men and women have to endure and how our furry friends can help! I just love that doggie's face.
ReplyDeleteFear not, Susanna, warmth is coming! It's a meteorological certainty, plus/minus a month's margin of error. :D
Lovely...what a kind and gentle looking retriever! Touching book choice!
ReplyDeleteOh you made me giggle Teresa!
ReplyDeleteI hope our library has this one. We have a lot of veterans here. Fireworks become a difficult topic when someone shoots them off on a holiday, as we have several neighbors dealing with PTSD. This book looks very touching. Thanks for sharing. I hope to read through the list later this weekend. Busy Friday. Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Stacy! Glad we can laugh about our awful weather together.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a lovely book, Susanna. We'll have to add it to our Must Read list.
ReplyDeleteThis is an excellent book, and sounds like it handles the topic sensitively. Great choice. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi again! I can't open the link to "This Book Ate My Dog" Help!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I don't know why my #14 link does not work. I reposted at 17. Thanks for sharing Captain Luis Montalvan and Tuesday's story.
ReplyDeleteThat doggie has mad, wicked skills. They call me a therapy dog at the VA, but my only skills are making people smile and getting petted.
ReplyDeleteLove and licks,
Cupcake
Beautiful book Susanna. Love that is't from the dogs point of view. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteOh and I'm hoping Mother nature doesn't get too much of a big hint. (ducks before a snowball comes through the laptop screen) lol.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely book, Susanna...veterans return to a world that is so different from the one they left...they have changed even though the landscape may remain the same. Hurray for service dogs who help in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteOur snow is melting...little by little...thank goodness, because there is so much, we would have flooding if it melted too soon. I keep going down to the basement with my fingers crossed...so far, so good. ;) It's still bitter cold...but it's been sunny. I hope you get some relief soon from the frigid temps. ;)
I'm a sucker for a furry face! What a wonderful book highlighting how animals give comfort! Thanks for sharing and may the "big thaw" be upon you very soon.
ReplyDeleteTotally love this! SO important for our littles to know about the service and sacrifice of our soldiers and their loyal companions. WoW ... thank you.
ReplyDeleteZERO DEGREES!!! I'm so sorry. :( I'm hoping for warmer weather for you very soon. And the book sounds great! We sometimes forget that kids don't always understand. And telling them about PTSD will hardly help. What a great book!
ReplyDeleteIt really is nicely done - I love that it's from the dog's POV! And thanks for your warm weather wishes - I think they're working. Today it was 50!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's how I feel, Barbara! That's why I was so glad to find this book! I'm glad you like it too!
ReplyDeleteI watched several YouTube videos about this pair and I have to say, Tuesday just seems like such a lovely dog. And you can see how much he means to (and does for) Luis. Thanks for your "big thaw" wishes - I think they're working! We're melting!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the book too, Vivian. It really is a nice one. Hearing the story from the dog's POV makes it so much more accessible to kids, I think. And you can just see what a difference Tuesday makes in Luis's life! Our snow is melting now too... and I've got the canoe ready in the basement because I know what's coming :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it, Diane :)
ReplyDeleteSnowball? A comment like that might earn you an icy slush ball! :)
ReplyDeleteThose are huge skills that mean SO much, Cupcake. You make people's days brighter all the time just by being you :) And I think that's a lot of what Tuesday does too - just provides warmth and love.
ReplyDeleteThere was an extra http://. I deleted the bad one :) I'm glad you like Luis and Tuesday's story :)
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Rosi! :)
ReplyDeleteI think i fixed that one... but I'll go check again!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it, Joanne! I like it because it's told from Tuesday's POV, which makes it so much better for kids!
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll like it, Katie :)
ReplyDeleteI know, Pat, me either! Especially when they have gorgeous photographs :)
ReplyDeleteFireworks must be so hard for veterans with PTSD. I can't even imagine. There's a part in the book where Luis has to ride on the subway, and that is very hard for him. The way he gets through it is just to hug Tuesday. It's so sweet and touching, and wonderful that just the presence of that warm, loving dog helps him so much.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like it, Julie! And I think Tuesday is a very special dog :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the book, Teresa. I think it's a lovely one - very factual and helpful, but on a level that kids can appreciate. And he is a cute dog :) As for the warmth, you were right! It's 50 degrees today! We are enjoying every second because it won't be this warm again for a while, but oh it was lovely! :)
ReplyDeleteAh, the advantages of living in Virginia :) Spring comes a wee bit sooner. Actually, several weeks sooner. Blueberry Hill is behind the curve because of the altitude. I'm glad you like the book. I too think it's a valuable one!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanna. That's exactly the kind of book it is, and why I really like it. There is a grown up version of it called Until Tuesday, and several YouTube videos (not suitable for kids because of guns and explosions) that show Luis talking about his experiences and what Tuesday means to him - very touching.
ReplyDeleteI know, me too - if there's a dog in it, I love it :) I'm sorry to hear about your snow - it all fell on you and we escaped this time. But today was 50 degrees here - so lovely! - and I bet it was at least that warm where you are since you're farther south :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne, I'm glad you like it :)
ReplyDeleteThat is so true, Angela, and why I like this book so much. Hearing it from Tuesday's POV makes it a story kids can hear and understand and learn from without becoming frightened.
ReplyDeleteIt's so true, Rachel. There's nothing like a pet. They are so generous. And I love that this book is written from the dog's POV - it's what makes it work so well!
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