Two’s Company: Every Dog Needs a Friend! (Puppy Patrol #31 of 46) by Jenny Dale (Scholastic,
2003, 106 pages, $3.99, grades 3-5)
Here we have a new kid in
school with an older sister Charlie who is blind and has a new service dog
Chloe. The mom is overprotective of her daughter and doesn’t think the guide
dog is reliable, while her son feels very left out, particularly since, due to
the move, he had to give up his own dog.
We find service dog Jasmine
living alone in a retirement home: her handler has just died so she is moved
temporarily in King Street Kennel, the boarding kennel owned by the family of
Neil, 12, and his sister Emily, 11 – two very resourceful British kids who
actually get along! Jasmine herself, a Labrador, is nearly of retirement age herself.
(Another sub-plot involves how Dad falls and injures his back, thus being
unable to work at the kennel.)
Old Mrs. Atkinson had to
give up her dog for financial reasons but recently came into an inheritance so
was considering another dog – but not a rowdy puppy at her age!
Author Jenny Dale has the
ability to weave in a major plot and a couple of minor ones but leaves you
guessing for a while as to which one is the crux of the story. Eventually, all
plots arrive at a rather satisfying conclusion as Neil and Emily manage to
teach other kids and even adults a few lessons in living graciously. Adults
apologize, kids make new friends, and it is the kids who teach the adults (and other
kids) a thing or two.
What is a Guide Dog?
The reader will learn so much
about what guide dogs can do for a blind person, much of which is based upon
trust between dog and person. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association (the school
for future guide dogs) happens to be located in the next town over from our
young people who eventually organize a fundraiser for the school – a 12-mile
dog walk!
But not all is entirely
heavenly in the end. There may be a partially unsolved minor plot that
nevertheless is almost concluded or at least improved, such as the case of
serious sibling rivalry.
The best quote, on page 53, is
spoken by Charlie: “Maybe I don’t always want the most important thing about me
to be that I’m blind.” And that may just be the most important take-home lesson
in Two’s Company - besides letting go.
There is so much in this short little children’s book to think about. . . . and
who are the “two” in Two’s Company?
DogEvals
has reviewed other books by Jenny Dale over the years (Trick or Treat, Top Dog, About Charlie. Puppy
School, . . . , and Tug of Love)
and Two’s Company is just as good if
a bit more complex and grown-up in its treatment for both boys and girls.
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