Dogerella is the new mutt in town!  This is an early reader from Random House that has just been released, and is illustrated by Donald Wu (he did a GREAT job!)   Here are a few early reviews...

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: 

Gr 2-3–In a market glutted with fairy-tale retellings, one might feel justified in saying, “Absolutely no more Cinderella variations!” However, this accessible early reader about a kindhearted mutt with sorrowful eyes, her wicked stepfamily, and a princess who wants a dog more than anything else in the world is sweet, thoughtfully written, and appealing in its readability. Boelts avoids obvious arch doggy-puns in favor of a story that reveals the universal longing for companionship and compassion over material wealth and extra-fluffy tails. Wu’s color illustrations complement the text with gentle humor.–Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Mercer Island Library, WA

KIRKUS: 
In this version of the Cinderella story, the familiar structure is cleverly reworked to fit the mid-level early-reader format. An adorable pug puppy appears as Cinderella in Wu’s illustrations, while the stepmother is a haughty, white poodle and the stepsisters are an unfriendly chow and an aloof Afghan. Rather than a prince searching for a bride, a pampered princess named Bea wants a puppy for her seventh birthday. Her parents decide to have a ball for all the dogs in the kingdom so that Bea can choose her favorite as her pet. A purple-haired Fairy Dogmother helps Dogerella, providing a sparkly collar spelling out the dog’s name as well as a mini-van to get to the ball. The collar is left behind at the ball as the parallel element to the glass slipper and is of course a perfect fit for Dogerella in the conclusion. The combination of dozens of dogs, an earnest princess and a touch of magic add up to a charming whole. (Early reader. 5-7)

Before You Were Mine, illustrated by David Walker, recently won the Henry Bergh Award from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.  The photo below is from an ASPCA event at a shelter in Anaheim, California, before the award ceremony.  Next to me is Pearl, a beautiful, calm standard poodle and therapy dog...what a sweetheart, and what an important job she does.   To read more about Henry Bergh and his contribution to animal welfare, check out this link: http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=edu_bookaward

 In addition, I am also honored to have been given the Kind Award from The Humane Society of the United States for this book.   Thank you, ASPCA and The HSUS... and congratulations

to the other award winners, too!  It is such a joy to meet people with such passion for protecting animals.  It is also rewarding to listen to the stories of those who have adopted their pets from shelters and rescues. 

Here are some reviews of "Before You Were Mine"!

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL:

PreS-Gr 2—PreS-Gr 2—Boelts does an outstanding job of exploring the adoption of a rescued dog from a shelter. An unnamed boy whose family takes in this sweet-looking pet describes what the animal's life might have been like "before you were mine." The child wonders if his dog was loved, but too mischievous for the previous owners, or if they moved into a "no dogs allowed" apartment, or if he got lost, and "they never heard that…you look for him...until you find him." The boy also imagines how tough life must have been when the animal was on his own, and how frightened he might have been, even after being rescued. Walker's illustrations—some muted, others vibrantly colored—perfectly capture the misery and fear, the uncertainty, and ultimately the rapture of this pup because "you're home." The text and illustrations create moods that shift between poignant and blissful. A short essay about the "ripple of hope" created by a successful adoption of a dog from a shelter is appended....Deborah Vose, Highlands Elementary School, Braintree, MA Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

KIRKUS:

“Before you were mine . . . ” wonders a little boy, “did you live in a warm house with warm smells and a rug that was only yours? [Or were] you kept on a chain, with a dusty bowl and lonely sounds all around?” Never varying from this direct address, the little boy speculates about the life his dog may have led before being adopted from the shelter. He imagines happiness, cruelty, misfortune, neglect: “[Maybe] you ran away and they never heard that if your dog runs away, you look for him . . . until you find him.” Softly framed pastel panels and vignettes depict a round, mustard-colored little mutt playing wed to ding job of exploring the adoption of a rescued dog from a shelter. An unnamed boy whose family takes in ith an imagined boy, making puppy-mischief, alone and scared, before being taken to the shelter for “a meal, and a bath, and a bed of your own” before coming home with the narrator. Boelts’s restrained text and Walker’s affecting illustrations combine to pack a small wallop directly to the hearts of dog-loving children who will almost certainly give their pets an extra hug afterwards. A note on adopting a shelter pet follows this unabashedly emotional offering. (Picture book. 4-8)

 

Renowned children's book author and avid dog lover, Gary Paulsen, states that his method of choosing his dogs from the shelter is a simple one.  "Give me the next one you're going to whack," he says.  Then he adds, "And that dog just got lucky... dogs have been very good to me."  That quote has always inspired me!

Those Shoes, illustrated by Noah Jones has been released by Candlewick Press.  This story came from an experience I had while subsitute teaching in an under-resourced school.  A boy's well-worn shoes came apart, and he had to go to the guidance counselor to get a different pair from the stockpile the counselor had in his office.   When he came back to class, the other kids made fun of his shoes-- they were clearly not the ones that were in style.  I felt so sorry for this boy-- he had little chance of getting the Nikes or whatever the "in" shoe was at that time.  I talked to him, talked to the other kids, and that entire event triggered a story years later--what happens when a kid will do anything to get something he really wants... in Jeremy's case, a pair of shoes, THOSE SHOES?  And why does he want those shoes in the first place?  Because then he'll fit in?  This book is gorgeously illustrated by Noah Jones-- who commented, "I know exactly how Jeremy feels in this book, wanting something so badly it becomes all-consuming." 

Here's what KIRKUS had to say in its review...

"The hottest fad can also be the most expensive and out of reach for children in limited financial circumstances. Jeremy, living with his Grandma, dreams of wearing the latest cool black high-tops with two white stripes. But as Grandma points out, "There's no room for 'want' around here—just 'need' " and what Jeremy needs and gets is a new pair of winter boots. Jeremy's quest for new sneakers takes on more urgency when his old pair fall apart, and the only choice is the Velcro baby-blue set meant for little kids found in the school's donation box by the guidance counselor. Even Grandma understands and together they search several thrift shops and actually find the coveted black high-tops, but they're too small. Buying them anyway, Jeremy makes a heartfelt decision to put them to a more practical and generous use. Boelts blends themes of teasing, embarrassment and disappointment with kindness and generosity in a realistic interracial school scenario bringing affecting closure to a little boy's effort to cope in a world filled with materialistic attractions and distractions. Muted browns/greens/blues done in watercolors, pencils and ink, and digitally arranged, add to the story's expressive affirmation of what is really important. (Picture book. 6-9) 

HORN BOOK:

Jeremy yearns for the expensive striped high-top sneakers that most of the boys in his class, black and white alike, wear. But his kind yet firm grandmother says, "There's no room for 'want' around here-just need,'" and when his old shoes fall apart at school, he has to wear what's available: a pair of sneakers with babyish Velcro from the guidance counselor's box of extras. Though humiliated, Jeremy works hard to keep things in perspective ("I'm not going to cry about any dumb shoes"), but when he spots a pair of the prized shoes in a resale shop, he buys them even though they are much too small. Jones uses watercolor, pencils, and ink to depict a multiethnic urban neighborhood. The first spread, which shows a gigantic "Buy these shoes" poster looming over small Jeremy, conveys the enormous pressures on children who don't have as much money as their classmates. At the same time, both Boelts and Jones show that even though Jeremy's family lacks disposable income-and, presumably, live-in parents-he is secure and loved. Whether children are on the shoe-owning or the shoe-envying side of the economic line, they can sympathize with Jeremy and rejoice in the way he eventually resolves his problem with his too-small shoes. S.D.L.

These are the shoes I wanted in 6th grade!  It seemed like every kid in my class had a pair of the "Starsky" shoes from "Starsky and Hutch" ...at least that's how I remember it!  I found a pair on Ebay (from Argentina) to bring with me to school visits... the only size they had was a men's 11, so unless I stuff cotton in the toes, these shoes will be for display only.  : )