Changing of the Guard

or the pup, as the case may be. Yes, our dear Dogzilla, Electra, has gone off to college and a new pup has taken her place. It seemed to be a traumatic event for my Mom Person. She sometimes can be so emotional. But I don’t mind providing the needed comfort. We did have some good times with that crazy pup. I have to admit she was quite entertaining.

For the week before they all went off to Florida there were lots of tears flowing. For that crazy pup!!! But from what I hear, Ms Electra proved to be quite the champ on the trip. My friend, Sarah, at Dr Bruton’s office had a talk with her on our last visit there. I don’t know what exactly was said, but it must have made an impression on Electra. I’m glad she didn’t make a fool of herself.

So Electra is now off to the kennels with a new roommate to lay on. She’ll be getting some top notch schooling and I think that she will probably enjoy that. She always really liked school. Hooray for Electra! And Hooray for us!!

And now there’s a new pup in town. Her name is Marni. My Mom Person puts a lot of stock in names. Names are important. I don’t know what Marni means. It sounds kind of like a flower to me. I seem to remember that there is a movie called Marnie. That Marnie was a liar and a thief. Hmmmm. Maybe I should find a good place to hide my tennis balls. I’ll try to keep that vision of a flower in mind. I must say that Marnie’s Mom did a better job of teaching her some manners than did Ms Electra’s. Marni is pretty flighty like Electra, but much more polite about it. She’s more of a Sparky than an Electra.

So now it starts all over again. Ah me. Well, maybe now we can get back to bookish things.

If you are at all interested in more of this tale of pups you can visit HERE.

Wishing you the JOY of new adventures!
Your friend
Rhythm

Edmund Pickle Chin

I’ve got a fun little book to share with you today!! It’s a true story about a lucky little donkey who was rescued from a bad place and carried off to a wonderful place called Evermay Farm. Evermay Farm is a Heart Place that was established by Susan April Elwood to provide a safe, happy home for abused animals. This lucky little donkey was the first of many to arrive.

Edmund Pickle Chin
A Donkey Rescue Story
by Clara Bowman-Jahn and Susan April Elwood
illustrated by Lynne Bendoly
published by eTreasures Publishing in 2014

based on a True Story!

It begins
The frightened donkey snorted and shivered.
Whenever anyone came near him, he would back away. Not so long ago he was treated poorly and he was confused.

We took this book to school with us and my readers fell in love with Edmund Pickle Chin. Is that not a funny name?! It seems to fit him though. The kids liked that this tale was based on a true story about a real donkey. Ryan particularly liked the cover with that happy donkey face, and wanted to read it himself to the class.

That was certainly alright by me!!!! And he did a fine job with it, too! This is the story of Edmund Pickle Chin and his transition from shy, scared, confused donkey to happy, self-assured ambassador for the farm. It took a lot of time and patience for Ms Elwood to win his trust. But she seems to be filled with love and patience. Ryan is a farm boy and he knows about patience and earning the trust of an animal. When other animals started arriving at Evermay, Edmund knew how to make them feel welcome. The kids really liked how kind Edmund was, taking care of the goats and rabbits and ponies that came to live with him. This is a story all about big hearts and being kind.

We really liked the illustrations. That Edmund sure has a winning smile!! At the end of the book there are a few real pictures of the real Edmund and some of his friends at Evermay Farm. You can find out more about Evermay Farm at their website HERE.

One of the authors, Ms Clara Bowman-Jahn has a fine blog of her own that you can visit HERE. She does book reviews and writer talk. You might want to go visit!

You can find out more about the illustrator, Lynne Bendoly, HERE on Ms Bowman-Jahn’s blog.

Did you know that donkeys are used as guard animals to take care of sheep and goats? There are lots of sheep and goats around where I live and most of those herds have donkeys that stay with them and watch out for predators like coyotes and mountain lions. We have some donkeys that live with our neighbors and visit us over our fence. They don’t have any sheep or goats. Just us to visit with.

Here’s a little lesson all about donkeys —

Spread some kindness today and keep smiling!
Your wagging, smiling friend
Rhythm

Winnie

You are probably familiar with a bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. I have grown up with Mr Pooh Bear. My family are all great fans. I, myself, think that he is the greatest philosopher that ever lived! Or didn’t live. Whatever. He is one wise bear!

Well, did you know that the Winnie-the-Pooh in the books was inspired by a real life bear? And did you know that there is a book about this real life bear?! Well, My Mom Person, bless her heart, has presented me with a copy of this book as an early Valentine gift! Isn’t that something?!

WINNIE
The True Story of the Bear Who Inspired Winnie-the-Pooh
by Sally M. Walker
illustrated by Jonathan D. Voss

published by Henry Holt & Co. in 2015

a non-fiction picture book suitable for anyone who loves Winnie-the-Pooh!

themes – Winnie-the-pooh, bears, animal rescue, military, World War I

It begins –
When Harry Colebourn looked out of the train window, he couldn’t believe what he saw: a bear at the station! The train’s stop would be short, but Harry had to get off and see the bear for himself.

Harry is a young soldier going off to training camp in Quebec during World War I. He is also a veterinarian and will be with the veterinary corps taking care of horses. The bear is a small brown orphaned cub that is up for sale. Harry buys the bear for $20.00 and hops back on the train taking the little thing with him. He names the bear Winnipeg because that’s where his company is from and Winnie becomes the company mascot. She goes everywhere with the soldiers and even sleeps under Harry’s cot!

When the war across the Atlantic starts to get worse, Harry’s company has to ship out to England. Winnie ships out with them. But when the war continues to get worse and the company is called to the front lines in France, Harry decides to leave Winnie with the London Zoo. She was so sweet and friendly that she soon became a favorite with London kids. One in particular, a young lad named Christopher Robin, was particularly taken with the little bear, so his father, Mr A.A. Milne, took him often to visit. Christopher Robin decided to rename his own Edward Bear, Winnie-the-Pooh. And the rest is history, as they say!

A special bonus in this book is the endpapers. They are real photographs of Harry and Winnie and Christopher Robin and Mr Milne. Fantastic!! At the end of the book is a kind of epilogue about Harry and Winnie after the war and a bibliography and links to some interesting videos.

Winnie was an American Black Bear. You can find out more about black bears HERE and HERE.

After reading this book about Winnie, the natural thing to do would be to read some Winnie-the-Pooh. And not those Disney books. The REAL Winnie-the-Pooh!

And to help you get in the mood here is Mr Milne himself reading from his very own book!

Now you might want to venture over to Ms Susanna Hill’s blog to check out today’s list of Perfect Picture Books. You’ll be glad you did!!!

 May you have a tiddly-pom weekend full of wonder!
Your friend
Rhythm

Safe and Sound

Yesterday was National Seeing Eye Dog Day. We celebrated this day by visiting a third grade classroom and educating them a bit about guide dogs. Most of the kids in Glen Rose know something about working dogs from knowing me and Walker. They all know our tales of being guide dog pups in training. All the kids who knew me as a pup have moved on to college now. I’m into another bunch of young folks altogether! New ones to educate.

So we took Electra along in her official coat that says she’s a guide dog pup. We took her coat off while in the classroom so the kids could pet. No petting allowed when in coat! Just like a working dog in harness! NO PETTING! And we took a great little book about a working guide dog to help us tell our tale.

Safe and Sound
by Beth Finke
illustrated by Anthony Alex LeTourneau
published by Blue Marlin Publications in 2007

Theme – Guide dogs

This book is suitable for all ages, young and old. 3rd grade was perfect!

It begins –
Look at me! See the harness strapped to my back? I’m called a Seeing Eye dog. The harness is my uniform, and whenever I’m wearing it, I’m working. I guide my partner, Beth, where she needs to go.

This is Hanni’s story of her job keeping Beth safe in a world full of obstacles. Traffic, crowds of people, holes in the sidewalk, garbage cans, tree branches. Whew!!! It’s a crazy world out there and a guide dog must be ever vigilant!

This book presents a great picture of what it’s like to be a working dog. It’s about the job at hand, but the story is also about the relationship between Beth and Hanni. How they had to learn to trust each other because both their lives depended on that trust. How that trust was the foundation for a deep love. It’s a lovely tale.

At the end of the book there are some factual notes from Hanni about her life from pup to working guide dog. And some notes from Beth about how she became blind from juvenile diabetes and what life is like as a blind person.

There is also a list of references for further reading.
This book is also available in Braille. To learn more about Braille visit this website HERE. You might learn how to write your name in Braille!

The Learning to Give website has some good ideas for ways to use this book in a classroom. You can visit them HERE.

We had a great discussion in our classroom about how working dogs help their handlers. What senses the dogs use to do their job. You could let kids pretend they were blind and try to maneuver around the classroom. And then let someone else be their guide dog.

If there is a guide dog school near you, you might pay them a visit. Maybe even volunteer! Southeastern Guide Dogs has puppy hugging days. And volunteers come in to walk the dogs that are in training. You can find a list of guide dog schools HERE. This is the website for the National Federation for the Blind. You can find out more about blindness there as well.

For more about juvenile diabetes visit HERE.

This is PERFECT PICTURE BOOK FRIDAY. For a list of more Perfect Picture Books visit Ms Susanna Hill’s blog – you’ll be glad you did!!

A guide dog faces all kinds of obstacles! —

Have a Safe and Sound weekend!!!
Your friend
Rhythm

 

National Seeing Eye Dog Day

Today, January 29, is National Seeing Eye Dog Day. A day to recognize the JOY that is a working guide dog. A seeing eye dog becomes the eyes for someone who cannot see. They become an unbeatable team!

Michael Jernigan and his guide dog Brittani

It all started with a serendipitous intertwining of a few forward thinking individuals. A lot of veterans came away from the terror that was World War I, blinded and in need of assistance. A school was set up in Germany to train German Shepherd Dogs to assist these veterans. An American lady, Ms Dorothy Eustis, happened to be in Switzerland and learned about this German school. She was so impressed that in 1927 she wrote an article for “The Saturday Evening Post” about these “seeing eye dogs.” And she began her own training school. In America, a blind man, Mr Morris Frank was read the article by his father and he decided that a seeing eye dog was just what he needed! He contacted Ms Eustis to see if he could come train with her and receive one of her dogs. He promised to come back to the United States and teach others.

In 1928 Buddy, the German Shepherd, became the first seeing eye dog in the United States and Mr Frank was the first blind person in the US to use a seeing eye dog! And in 1929 The Seeing Eye Guide Dog School was established in Nashville, Tennesseee. In 1966 the school moved to its present location, Morristown, New Jersey. It is the oldest existing guide dog school in the US.

I came from a Guide Dog school, myself. Southeastern Guide Dogs in Palmetto, Florida.

That ultimately was not my destiny, but we stay connnected to the school and continue to raise pups for them. Our little Dogzilla, Electra, is one such pup. And we also like to educate folks about guide dogs.

This is our friend Mr Allen Preston and his guide dog Jolly doing a presentation at our school. Jolly was a pup that we raised for Southeastern Guide Dogs and ultimately for Mr Preston.

For more information about Guide Dogs visit The National Association of Guide Dog Users website HERE.

For more information about blindness visit the National Federation of the Blind website HERE.

To find out what day to day life is like for a working guide dog team visit Jo and Wiley at their blog Daily Life of a Guide Dog HERE.

Find out more about Michael Jernigan HERE and HERE.

And here is Mr Morris Frank in his own words —

I hope that you will do a little research today and learn what you can about Seeing Eye Dogs and the kind of difference they make in a blind person’s life.

Wishing you a day of thankful independence!
Your friend
Rhythm

 

Score One for the Sloths

I’m working on my serene attitude this year. Finding my own personal Zen place. Serenity is my goal. I mostly don’t have much problem finding the calm in a storm. My Mom Person calls me the Queen of Serene. But I’m trying to find more of that quiet stuff in my days. We came across a funny little book this week. About sloths. Now, I don’t know much about sloths. They don’t seem to live in my woods. But from what I’ve been told, sloths appear to be oddly serene. As in they seem to be odd creatures who know how to stay calm and tranquil in all situations. So this little book caught my eye on a couple of levels. Serenity and Oddness.

My friend Bruce the Bookshelf Gargoyle, has presented a new challenge for 2015. The Oddity Odyssey. Wherein we are supposed to read Odd books. You can find out more about this Odd Challenge by visiting Bruce on his bookshelf HERE. I have committed to reading 16 or more Odd books so that I might become Audaciously Odd! I am submitting this book as my Odd book # 1.

Score One for the Sloths
by Helen Lester
illustrated by Lynn Munsinger
published by Houghton Mifflin Co. in 2001

It begins –
Ho-dee-hum.
It was another day at Sleepy Valley Sloth School, and all
the sloths were just hanging around.

Which is what sloths do! Right?! This book is hilarious! It made me smile and chuckle and want to take a nap. The little student sloths had lessons in yawning, and snoring, and rolling over. I think that I could excel at this sloth school! Most of the time they slept and were “content in their slothfulness.”

Life was grand at Sleepy Valley Sloth School. Until – a new sloth came to school. A girl sloth named Sparky who was full of vim and vigor! Sparky did not want to sleep all day! She wanted to DO things! Read and play music and build castles! Oh! The other sloths were sooooooo boring! They even put me to sleep!

Then an official from administration came to visit and said that Sleepy Valley Sloth School had done dreadful on all the tests!! He wanted to close the school! But Sparky, the “mover and shaker” came up with a plan to save the school. I won’t give the ending away, but suffice it to say that Sparky saved the day! And the school! And it was all very odd indeed!

Here’s a little video of a real sloth. In the wild – not in school.

Take it slow and easy this week.
Take some time to be mindful of the world around you.
Your napping friend
Rhythm

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole

The year has moved on to the month of November. And November happens to be Picture Book Month! An event created by Ms Dianne de Las Casas to celebrate the genius of the Picture Book. I think that really EVERY month is Picture Book Month, but November has been set aside to show especial appreciation for this type of reading material. There is a website attached to this most sacred of months – you can visit it HERE – and find out more about why Picture Books are sooooooo important!!

To start off my celebration of the Picture Book, I present a very special book written and illustrated by two incredibly special young men!

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole
by Mac Barnett
illustrated by Jon Klassen
published by Candlewick Press in 2014

There has been lots and lots of talk about this book – even before it came out. It MUST be a Perfect Picture Book! It has generated sooooo much attention and soooo much conversation! And it is a PERFECT blend of text, illustration, and design! All very simple, but oh so PERFECT!

It begins –
On Monday Sam and Dave dug a hole.

The story is about two boys who decide to dig a hole. A universal subject! Everyone likes to dig holes!! I, myself, have been known to dig a hole or two.

I never found anything too spectacular – just some pretty yummy roots. But Sam and Dave are on a quest to find “something spectacular.” They won’t stop until they do! And OH! they come ever so close!! But not quite! My readers were right along for the dig! Moaning and groaning with each page turn. With each shovelful of dirt. Sam and Dave have a helper – a little dog – who seems to be much smarter than the boys. The dog tries very hard to indicate where they need to dig. But Sam and Dave do not pay him any attention.

Those silly boys! They dig for a very long time – deeper and deeper. Until they are too tired to dig any more and they fall asleep. The little dog keeps digging though – going after something spectacular and ends up with a real hole that tumbles them all through time and space until they land – right back where they started on the soft dirt next to the little tree. But is it really where they started? That’s the big question.

Oh! the discussion!!! In the classroom with my readers – “What just happened?!” “Why is everything different?” Where’s the hole?” “Are they on the other side of the world?”

On The Horn Book website HERE.

On Publisher’s Weekly HERE.

On 100 Scope Notes HERE.

Mr Barnett was in Texas recently at our Texas Book Festival in Austin. He read this book and talked about it. He even had the crowd sing Happy Birthday to the book!!! He noted all the differences at the end of the book – the tree, the weathervane, the flower, the cat. He asked the questions. But he gave no answers. Just leaves you hanging! With MUCH to ponder.

Mr. Shu at Watch, Connect, Read had Mr Barnett and Mr Klassen come visit his school library! Can you imagine that?! What a fantastic day that would be! You can see all the fun they had and watch a book trailer at his website HERE.

The Horn Book has a great interview by Mac Barnett with Jon Klassen.

And here’s a great TED talk –

So! Happy Picture Book Month to you!
May you always find something spectacular when you go digging!
Your library friend
Rhythm

Milking Time

There are quite a few animals that live here at the 7 Acre Wood. Dogs and cats and chickens and guineas and goats and a pony. And a couple of donkeys across our fence at the neighbors. But no cows. No cows at all. I don’t know much about cows. I’ve seen them here and there, but have never actually known any. But lots of my reader friends know about cows. Many of them have cows at home. Many of them show cows at county fairs. They probably know more about cows than about dogs! Imagine that?!

Well, we came across a lovely picture book about cows. Dairy cows. Where milk comes from. I don’t know much about milk either. I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted the stuff. But milk is another thing that my reader friends know all about.

It’s Milking Time
by Phyllis Alsdurf
illustrated by Steve Johnson & Lou Fancher
published by Random House in 2012

It begins –
Every morning, every night,
it’s milking time.

This refrain is sung throughout the story. Milking cows is hard work. This is the story of a young girl helping her Dad with the milking duties. She brings the cows in from the pasture, and helps Dad get the barn ready for them so they can be fed and milked. She feeds the pen full of little calves. And helps with all the clean-up chores. It’s kind of a love story – love between girl and Dad and love for the cows who provide the milk.

The text is sing-song and lyrical. There seems to be some Rhythm in milking! “Cuds a-chewing, tails a-swatting, hooves a-pounding, into the barnyard they trudge.” Pure poetry. The illustrations are really lovely, soft and realistic. It’s a soft, quiet kind of book.

This book was a big hit with my readers. They chanted along with “every morning and every night.” They all knew what that was all about.

This is another entry in Gargoyle Bruce’s Small Fry Safari Reading Challenge. I believe it fits in Category #3 – A book with a specific time in the title. You can find out more about this challenge by visiting The Bookshelf Gargoyle HERE. You’ll find the whole list of categories and all the other entries.

You can find out more about dairy farming at the Dairy Farming website HERE.

And did you know that cows like jazz?

I wish for you a tall glass of milk with a little jazz on the side
every morning and every night!
Sweet dreaming to you
Your friend
Rhythm

The Bravest Knight

Sometimes when I go to school we talk about jobs that dogs have, and about my job as a therapy dog and library dog, and about how I was headed towards being a guide dog but ended up taking a different path.

This sometimes leads to talk about what kids want to do when they grow up. When my Mom Person was little she wanted to be a horse. What?! I don’t think that she has achieved this goal yet. I don’t really understand this concept of “growing up.” The idea of things in the “future” is a little murky to me. My days are centered around the here and now. The future means dinner and maybe some tennis. And those dreams are for NOW! Most little kids think a lot like me. They don’t seem to know how to dream about “some day.” But those bigger kids DO! And they tend to have BIG dreams! Kids are so funny! They ALL say that they want to have lots of dogs! Then there is talk about being super heroes and conquering bad guys. Or being sports stars. Lots of kids want to be firemen. Some want to be teachers. Some want to be farmers or ranchers or rodeo stars. It’s fun to listen to imaginations going wild. Where will those imaginings take them?

We read a book this week about big dreams. About a young boy, who is obviously quite a  reader, looking for adventures.

The Bravest Knight
by Mercer Mayer
published by Dial Books for Young Readers in 2007
originally published by The Dial Press in 1968 under the title Terrible Troll

This is a fiction book suitable for ages 4 and up

Themes would be fairy tales, knights, dreaming big, doing good deeds

It begins
I wish I lived a thousand years ago.
There would be beautiful castles, kings and queens,
good knights, bad knights, fair ladies in danger,
evil dragons from the mountains, and a giant troll
that roars and eats anything.

Are those not the words of a big dreamer! This boy imagines himself being the squire of the bravest knight in the kingdom. I’m impressed that he knows what a squire is! My readers sure didn’t!! See what kinds of doors a book can open?! Anyway, the boy squire envisions all the tasks that he would have to do as a squire and all of the adventures he would be a part of. He would help the knight in times of trouble and the knight would help him. There is quite a twist at the end of this tale that I am NOT going to reveal to you. Suffice it to say that it brought GASPS from my readers!!

This is an incredible picture book! It’s got it all! A fanciful tale with lots of suspense, a fantastic little hero, morals about working hard and taking care of your friends, and some incredible illustrations. I had one little reader on this day who was a real wild child. She would not sit long enough to read one page. But when she sat down with this book, she was mesmerized! We read the whole thing through and she even studied the pictures on every page. It was incredible!

Mr Mayer has a couple of websites that you might want to check out –
One is a gallery of his artwork HERE.

The other website is the Little Critters official website with lots of fun interactive stuff.
You can find it HERE.

Hear Mr Mayer talk about his name — http://www.teachingbooks.net/qlqswpm

This book is a perfect jumping off spot for some dramatics! Playing at being knights and trolls and damsels in distress. What would it be like to live in a castle? What kind of food would the kings and queens and knights eat? What kinds of pets might they have? This young squire has a cat – but no dog! What’s up with that?!

HERE is a link to some great crowns that kids could make for their play time.

And a link to a clever DIY Knight’s helmet HERE.

Susanna Leonard Hill keeps a list of Perfect Picture Books and resources to go along with these books. Fridays are devoted to these perfect books. You might want to check it out at her website HERE.

So, go slay some dragons this weekend and save some damsels in distress. And maybe toss a tennis ball to your best dog —

Your dreaming friend
Rhythm

National Guide Dog Month

Rhythm in training

I’m a little late with this, but September happens to be a special month to celebrate the special works of some special dogs who are trained to assist visually impaired humans. It’s all a GRAND thing! It’s National Guide Dog Month!

To find out more about guide dogs you can check out my post from this time last year – HERE.

Petco is a big sponsor of guide dogs and every year does a fundraising campaign to celebrate National Guide Dog Month. I was actually sponsored by Petco when I was a pup! That means that they made a generous donation to Southeastern Guide Dogs for the privilege of naming one of their pups. That was me!! You can visit their website HERE and find out more about National Guide Dog Month.

But today I’m going to tell you about some books. Non-fiction books that will help you and yours learn about guide dogs.

Guide Dogs
by Charles and Linda George
published by Capstone Books in 1998
Content consultant is Carol Lippert Gray – Manager of Public Relations for The Seeing Eye

This is a really nice, easy to read, 48 page book about the history and training of guide dogs. Chapters include – History of Guide Dogs, Best Breeds, Basic Training, Guide Dogs and Their Masters, And Stories About Guide Dogs.

There is also some reference material in the back of the book – a glossary and index to other guide dog material. A very fine little book.

Guide Dogs
Seeing for People Who Can’t
by Alice B. McGinty
a “Dogs Helping People” book published by The Rosen Publishing Group’s PowerKids Press in 1999

This is another fine little chapter book with much of the same information in a more condensed format. Only 24 pages. It also has a glossary and some nice photos. It actually has some of the very same photos as the other book Guide Dogs!

A Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up
written by Caroline Arnold
photographs by Richard Hewett
published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1991

This book is a little different from the other two. It’s about the puppy raising experience from birth to becoming a working guide dog. The book was endorsed by Guide Dogs for the Blind, a guide dog school in San Rafael, California. My Mom Person’s first guide dog pup came from this school a long time ago.

This is not a chapter book but it is a lovely story. In a way, it’s my story! And it’s one of those books that makes the Mom Person cry when she reads it.

Now you might notice that in my pictures today, I am trying to read these books to Ms Electra. This is her future in these books! But she just can’t be serious for one little minute. Ah, me. What’s a teacher to do?! What do you teachers out there do with the class clowns?!

Well, anyway, I would like for you to know that there are quite a few accredited Guide Dog Schools in the United States. You can find a list of all of them HERE on the National Federation of the Blind website. I think if there is one near you, you should go for a visit this month. Hug some puppies! Meet some future guide dogs! Become a puppy raiser!

Have a good weekend! and enjoy the month!
I’m going to go celebrate with some yummy treats!
Rhythm