Because of Bentley*, by Loren Spiotta-DiMare with Diane Zdrodowski (J. PacePublications, 2015, 28 pages, $18, ages 7-9)
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| Because of Bentley |
For a Perpetual Puppy,
the Royal Purple Treatment
Purple abounds and bookends this book. . . .
Bentley is a real Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (such a long name
for such a small dog!), or “Cavalier“ for short, who resembles a perpetual
puppy. His puppy appearance accounts for
the breed’s popularity: their small size (basically, a large toy breed) doesn’t
hurt either but merely adds to their cuteness factor.
If you love Cav’s you will gravitate towards Because of Bentley. If you haven’t yet
met a Cav or if you lean towards perhaps bigger breeds, you will be intrigued
by the book’s title.
Kids love the large-sized illustrations on one page with the
story on the facing page and they soon learn and long remember the real-life
accounts of Bentley becoming a therapy dog and how he helps other kids and their
people.
Effortless Education
Definitely a dog person, the author unobtrusively sneaks in little
husbandry tidbits like Bentley attending puppy kindergarten (a great idea)
after all his shots are complete but you may notice outdated terminology such
as ‘commands’ rather than ‘cues’ or requests that positive trainers now use.
(As a matter of fact, puppy kindergarten is now recommended for puppies who
have started their shots and waited a week – no need to wait until all the
shots are finished several weeks later if precautions are taken.)
Fun Illustrations
The large water-color illustrations by Jude Delaney are
‘spot-on,’ like my favorite on page 8 - three dogs swimming with just their
heads above water: Bentley, a Corgi ,and probably an All-American pup.
Dog Camp? Dogs Have
Careers? And What About Perseverence?
Yes! And yes!
I love it that Bentley goes to a real dog camp to play and
learn with other dogs and their people.
But more than that, I love that Bentley takes a three-day
course to become part of a therapy dog team but when the team does not pass the
exam, they take another course and this time they do pass: what an incredible
lesson for young readers to persevere for something they really want in life!
Just What Does a
Therapy Dog Do Anyway?
Have you ever wondered what makes a therapy dog a therapy
dog? And what a therapy dog actually does? Bentley will ‘show-and-tell’ you all
about it from visits with children and their parents in a hospital to a
special-needs child in the school setting to giving a troubled boy the courage
to reach out and make new friends – all Because
of Bentley. And when you notice the ‘because of Bentley’ stories, you will
smile and remember them long afterwards.
Bentley may just spur you and your dog on to become a
therapy team yourselves! If so, Bentley would be proud, and if not, you have
learned so much about therapy dogs that you can share with others!
Bonus
An added bonus: photographs of the real Bentley (to supplement the illustrations), a multi-faceted canine champion, and more about the author, Bentley's person (Diane), and the illustrator.
*Purchase here or through Loren's Reading Room here
Caveat: This
book was sent to me as a reviewer.
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