Book Review: Discovered! A Beagle Called Bella (Rainbow Street Shelter Book 6 of 6)

Discovered! A Beagle Called Bella, by Wendy Orr (Macmillan, 2013, $5.99, 126pp PB, grades 2-5, ages 7-10) 

Every dog has a job to do. It's the discovery of which job it is that can take time and cause heartaches in the meantime.

A young couple adopt a young Beagle from the Rainbow Street Shelter: they fall in love with Bella, the name they gave the pupster because she was so cute and smelled her way everywhere. After all, she is a beagle. But she also chewed and chewed (after all, she is a puppy) and whined and whined when left alone (she had lived with her mom and littermates all her life and was not used to being alone while Kate and Julian worked).

On The Other Hand. . . .

Tim lives with his dad but goes to California to visit his mom in her new life. Tim's dad works at the airport with sniffer dog Sherlock who is retiring so Dad has to find another dog to work with.

How all these people and dogs meet is quite a breath-taking story and you will not guess how it ends. Plus another guess of yours takes a long time to develop and you, the reader, younger or older, are on the seat of your pants waiting for the inevitable to finally happen.

We have the same wonderful characters at the Rainbow Street Shelter like Hannah. And, finally, the illustrations are so real you just want to reach out and touch them. Thank you, Patricia Castelao.

Book Review: Lost! A Dog Called Bear (Rainbow Street Shelter Book 1 of 6)

 Lost! A Dog Called Bear, by Wendy Orr (Macmillan, 2011, $5.99, 128pp PB, 7-10 years, grades 3-4)

Bear, A Funny Name for a Border Collie

Logan's parents are splitting up -  his dad taking Bear, the dog, to a new and very small town, while Logan is going to live with his mom in the city. Also in the city, Hannah has wanted a dog all her life and thinks she could be a dog walker.

One day, Hannah finds a dog in the back of her dad's truck so they take the dog to the shelter and Hannah starts to volunteer. 

Find out how Logan and Hannah meet: they also "live" in the next book, Discovered! along with the Rainbow Street Shelter (actually there are six books in the series but only two are dog books).

A Knack for Writing

Author Wendy Orr certainly has a knack for writing children's books that are also great (short) stories for adults. She has that magic touch, whether it is the plot that is so believable or the characters who seem real or merely the sentences that are well put together.  And there are twists at the end of chapters that keep you wanting to go on and finish the book.

Bring in a guinea pig and a litter of new puppies, and you have a children's book that could be made into a much longer book for teens.

Book Review: Fun Day with Misa: Un Dia Divertido con Misa (children's book, dog)

Fun Day with Misa - Un Dia Divertido con Misa, by Mireya Saldua (Hot Tamale Publishing, $18.99, 44pp HB, ages 4-8, 2025) 

We love bi-lingual books, no matter what the second language is! They are generally easy enough to understand with their expressive pictures that a glossary or mini-dictionary is not usually needed if you read along with the English. Fun Day with Misa is no exception. And it's about a dog to boot.

An added bonus for the young reader is to find all the blue bones and flower blossoms as well as Misa's name in Japanese on the pages and count them up each time you read the book. See if your sum gets larger as you locate the objects.

Dogsitting with Grandma

Misa the dog wants to go to work with Mom but can't - Mom is a nurse. So, Grandma comes to get Misa for a day at Grandma's house. 

B-o-r-i-n-g!

Not! 

Misa goes for a walk, plays with some boys, takes a nap - all normal Australian Shepherd puppy activities - and more. These are just common everyday activities but fun nevertheless. 

Dad comes to pick her up and they go home for dinner and TV, waiting for when Mom arrives a short time later.

Here is a sample page, showing just how easy the two languages are:

Book Review: The Saint Bernards Decorate for Christmas (children's book)

The Saint Bernards Decorate for Christmas, by Elaina Firman (independently published, 2025, $15 PB, up to age 18, 25pp)

This series of little kid books (or, little series of kid books), five so far, appeals to grown-ups just as much as the little ones. Maybe that is why author Elaina Firman believes they should be owned by 'kids' up to age 18 - but we disagree. We think these books are written for adults, too! 

Saint Bernards are big dogs who turn out to be a big help decorating for the magic of the holidays. Everyone has their job to do, even the sheep who spin yarn and knit the stockings to hang by the fireplace. 

This is just the book to put you in the mood for Christmas because now that it's June, The Saint Bernards Decorate for Christmas is a lovely little experience, full of detailed pictures that we love to gaze over slowly - they are so busy! The story is easy and the words even flow and rhyme (so hard for an author to accomplish).

We also cherish the sleepy slow calm ending, with the close of the day - every decoration made and hung, thanks to all the animals who so graciously helped out. The ambient light is low, now that the sun has set, and the scenes are lit by only the glow of the Christmas tree lights and the cozy fireplaces. 

Note: Another title in the series is reviewed here (yesterday).

Book Review: The Saint Bernards Grow a Garden (children's book)

The Saint Bernards Grow a Garden, by Elaina Firman (independently published, 2026, $15 PB, up to age 10, 25pp)

Ah, the saints are at it again with their busy fun lives. This time it is spring and they take us through the growing season. Again, all the different farm animals help out, all season long.

These saints (and Saints) are the two best known Saint Bernards in the world, Koko and Jacey, but who is who is not important since they and the rest of the animals work together. However, child-readers will be able to tell the dogs apart. Adults, not so easily.

Immensely colorful and busy (detailed), Garden shows what can be accomplished with a little help from your friends in turning mistakes into successes - spilt water is soon soaked into the ground, helping the crops grow. Lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, green peppers and more delicious veggies grow to take the family through the cold New Hampshire winter on the Firman Family Farm.

Garden joins the other Saint Bernard books: one I'd personally love to read - The Saint Bernards' Summer Night, along with The Saint Bernards Explore the Farm, The Saint Bernards' Easter Egg Hunt and The Saint Bernards Decorate for Christmas, reviewed here tomorrow. 

Book Review: Here Comes Bella! (another dog. . . .)

 Here Comes Bella! by Seth Karnes (Wellness Writers Press, $12.99 PB, 2026, 25pp, 4 years and up)(read a sample here) When a child's dog passes away. . . .

                                                     

A boy and his dog, a girl growing up with her dog-best-friend. Every child needs a dog growing up but the only thing wrong with his picture is that too often the dog dies before the child is ready for it to happen. Like we have had our parents our whole lives, some of us have had our dogs our whole lives so it is additionally heart-breaking to lose them.

Books can help (and so can stuffies!) but nothing really takes the place of a childhood dog.

Liam grew up with Lola in Here Comes Bella! and they became best friends - for years. As Liam grew up, Lola grew older and started to slow down. The time came when they had to say goodbye.

The hole in Liam's heart never went away but suddenly he "was all alone. His heart felt like an empty box, hollow and aching." His life changed. His world changed. His family changed.

Then one day, a dog peeked at Liam through a hole in the backyard fence and the healing began.

Based on a true story (https://www.facebook.com/herecomesbella), author Seth Karnes writes with his heart about both dogs - the one who came to visit and stay, and the one who stayed in Liam's heart every day forever.

Book Review: Problems with Pooski (family loves a bad dog)

Problems with Pooski, by Sharon O'Flaherty (Archway Publishing, 2026, $14.99PB, 32pp, children's book) 

Puppy Pooski arrives in a box! And grows up to be her own boss: she doesn't fetch or come when called, she chews everything except her own bones (homework, socks, post-its, Mom's shoes). What's a family to do? Can the kids help take care of this mischievous pupster?

Should they put an ad in the paper to give her away? What if nobody responds? What if too many people respond so the family can't make a decision as to who gets their Pooski?

Should they take Pooski to dog school to learn how to behave? Or is she incorrigible?

Or, perhaps, is she perfect just the way she is, to a family that loves her?

Written in big book size, Pooski is just right for the littlest kid to hold and make his own as Mom and Dad read the story and then discuss responsibility and caring as the household changes with a new family member.

And perhaps your family has had a dog like Pooski. What did you do?

This probable cocker spaniel will steal your heart away.

Author Sharon O'Flaherty has written a book in rhyme, an admirable feat, and in triplets to boot!