Actually, today's read hits the shelves on the 20th, but since that's only two days away, it totally falls into the birthday category in my book. This tale is about a dog...yep, pup-fans get ready for this one...
and hits themes such as animal shelters and dog's needing space for themselves. I'm hoping this is well done and relatable.
Let's take a peek and find out how it does!
LADY NEEDED SPACE
by Audrey Weatherstone
Illustrated Natalia Logvanova
Belle Ilse Books
Picture Books
34 pages
ages 3 to 7
COMING MAY 20th!!!
When Lady is brought home from the animal shelter, she feels overwhelmed by the busy world around her, full of unfamiliar dogs, people, sounds, and smells. She doesn't know what to do with her big feelings! But with love and patience from her human, April, Lady learns tricks to help her feel safe, and even makes a new friend. Some days she feels brave, and some days she just needs space.
MY TIDBITS
Learning to respect those who need to step back from life's hustle-bustle comes across with finesse and care in these pages.
Lady waited in the animal shelter for someone to adopt her, and when the time came, she found a perfect home. Everything was great, but going outside for walks among people, cars, and other dogs quickly grew overwhelming. Luckily, her owner might know exactly how to handle the situation.
There are several aspects about this read, which let the goodness flow. Firstly, it wakes awareness for animal shelters and reminds readers/listeners that there are wonderful pets waiting to be discovered in these shelters. Second, it takes on the problem of feeling of being overloaded by the world, and learning how to deal with it. Third, it helps others to understand why animals (and people) sometimes need to take time for themselves and slide back for short periods of time from the rest of the world. And all of this is brought across, while following a cute dog as it settles into a new home.
The illustrations are well done and let each scene come across naturally and understandably. The dog's angst is obvious and makes it easy to sympathize with the various situations. But the wonderful, happy moments aren't forgotten either, and that keeps the read from becoming too pointed or feeling preachy. Especially one scene, with the girl and dog lying in the park, lets good feelings flow.
The text is age appropriate and keeps the tale flowing to keep boredom away. Each moment brings something interesting, which makes this a nice read-aloud for groups. It can be read alone by those who have a good grip on their words.
And here she is...
Audrey Weatherstone is a singer-songwriter, author, and dog lover based in Richmond, Virginia. After graduating from Shenandoah University, she now works as a music therapist in neurologic rehabilitation and hospice care, as well as advocating for rescue animals, reactive dogs, and positive reinforcement dog training. Her music and writing are inspired by her work as a music therapist and her reactive rescue dog, Lady. Lady Needed Space is her first book.
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