The Detective Dog Book Review

The Detective Dog by Julia Donaldson follows one super sleuth canine on a mission to solve a most puzzling mystery.  Detective Dog Nell loves solving crimes.  But that's just what she does Tuesday through Sunday.

On Mondays, she goes to school with her six-year-old boy, Peter.  The children read all sorts of wonderful stories to the popular pooch.  Nell's favorite books are the ones about dogs.

One Monday, Nell's sensitive sniffer detects a problem.  Racing inside, she and Peter discover that all of the books have been stolen.  Will the dynamic duo be able to find the clues and recover the stolen property?

I greatly enjoyed reading this book.  I love the idea of a mystery solving canine that uses its nose to snuff out crime.  Donaldson's characters are smart and lovable.  Nell's larger than life personality definitely tickles my funny bone.  I wasn't expecting for the text to be in rhyme, but it adds a fun musicality to the mystery.

I also love that Donaldson includes children reading to Nell as part of the story.  As a certified therapy dog handler, this is a program that is close to my heart.  I hope that more schools will open their doors to therapy dog teams as the benefits of children reading to dogs is truly monumental.

Sara Ogilvie's illustrations are amazing.  Her style appears to be ink with watercolor.  Each image pops off of the page and will certainly delight young and old readers alike.  I love how expressive she made Nell's ears.  My favorite illustration is the vignette of a boy reading a book about knights to Nell.

This is a fun, furry mystery read for children ages 3-6.  I can't wait to read about Nell's next adventure!

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog Book Review

Madeline Finn and the Library Dog by Lisa Papp tells the tale of one girl's journey to become a better reader.  Madeline hates to read.  Book, magazines, menus on ice cream trucks.  She wants no part of the reading scene.

Ms. Finn has a secret.  She has trouble reading.  Words become a jumbled mess on the page.  Her mouth traps sentences like flies in a frog's tongue.  She stutters and stumbles doing her very best.  Still, her classmates laugh at her.

All Madeline wants is the coveted gold star from her teacher.  But the Keep Trying hearts are piling up fast.  One Saturday, her mom takes her to the worst place ever:  the library.  Mrs. Dimple, the librarian, has a trick up her sleeve that might just change the way Madeline reads forever.

I love this book!  The story is full of compassion and heart.  While I never struggled with reading, one of the elementary students I mentored while in high school did.  He tried so hard to get the words right, but his lisp and speech impediment made it difficult.  I wish Bonnie could have visited him.

Being the owner of a certified therapy dog, this story definitely has a special place in my heart.  While we have not yet tried the reading program, I know how much children love dogs and open up to them with free hearts and minds.  My dog and I visited a kids' club that had an Autistic little boy.  The club workers were shocked when he ran over to my dog and not only touched her but spoke to me.  They then informed me that that was the first time they had ever heard the boy speak.

The story shows just how amazing dogs truly are.  They make no judgments and place no blame.  Dogs only love unconditionally and hope to have their affections returned.  They are the perfect companion and reading buddy.

Papp's illustrations are gorgeous.  They remind me of the original artwork from the A.A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh books.  I especially love the colorful cast of canine characters.  I also like how the illustration styles are different on every page.  Some are single page spreads, others are doubles, some feature vignettes, and more.  This really captured my attention and made me pause to enjoy each one.

This is a fabulous story for (especially struggling) readers ages  4-8.  I could definitely see this book also being used in therapy dog programs throughout the country.