Book Review: Hero the Golden (children's book, golden retriever family, Thankful Paws, a mobile foodbank for pets)

Hero the Golden: The Most Kind and Most Polite Dog That Ever Was, by Lynn Molnar with illustrations by Alina Kurbiel (LifeRich Publishing, 2018, 30 pages, $16.99, ages 5 and up)

Beauty. Wonder. Appreciation. Amazement. Self-worth. Self-control. Compassion. Peace. Strength.

All wrapped up in a wonderful golden dog. What more can we say?

A Golden Hero

Hero, The Golden is a mostly true story about a grandpa dog who reads a bedtime story to his litter family of grand pups, about Hero a legendary golden retriever (just like them). This is the pups’ most favorite story!

Hero was polite and kind to people in chairs with wheels, to older people, to university students who are hurting inside, to everyone. Sometimes he would meet someone who did not like him but Hero always remembered that “What matters most is that you like you.”

 Words AND Pictures Make a Children’s Book

A children’s book is composed of illustrations (besides words) and DogEvals simply adores the cover of Grandpa Golden reading to his three grand pups, AND the pups in their puppy dog bed (together!), AND the woman in the chair with wheels, AND the little boy who is Hero’s size, AND the hurting student – illustrator Alina Kurbiel has superbly captured the essence of what a dog is and what a dog can do like how they teach us humans about picking ourselves up and starting all over again. And, of course, about being polite and kind.

We would love to see posters of some of these Hero-pictures!

Hero’s Legacy and Hope

 

Hope

And maybe the best thing about this book is the legacy of hope: Hero and his human, author Lynn Molnar founded the pet nonprofit, Thankful Paws, a mobile foodbank for pets (read the DogEvals article here). You can follow the real-life Hero on his Facebook page, Hero The Golden, and Lynn - on their Facebook page, Thankful Paws. Molnar teaches at Johns Hopkins University when she isn’t distributing dog food donations to those in need in the Baltimore area with her new assistant, Hope.

If you are looking for a charity to support, Thankful Paws is worthy of your time and efforts. Hero passed away earlier this year of Cushings Disease but his work is being carried on by little Hope.

And follow the illustrator, Aline Kurbiel, on her Facebook page, Alina Kurbiel Art!