Needless to say this journey is fraught with dangers. Many of the dogs are older now and travel is very difficult. At one point in the story
an abandoned skate board is discovered and ultimately used to transport an ailing member. They make the trip safely through the intervention of their long standing friendship with a financially well-off semi- derelict old lady. She speaks dog language and is able to secure veterinary help for the injured leader shortly before they arrive at their new home.

During the leader’s absence, Waggit is forced to assume the role.  While he enjoys the adulation, he regrets terribly the loss of privacy. When the leader returns all healed and ready to resume his role, Waggit is happy and sets about exploring and searching for other lost and thrown away dogs.

The reader leaves each volume of this  series hopeful and happy.  The earlier books are WAGGIT’S TALE and WAGGIT’S AGAIN. These would make tremendous readalouds for grades 3 through 5 or even 6th. It is a series so well crafted with humor, suspense and loving characters .  If a child is breathing, I can almost guarantee he/she will fall in love completely with Waggit.

So, when FINDING DANNY by Linzi Glass (Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins,  May 2010, $16.99) arrived I sat down and started to read it immediately. For the next two hours I sat transfixed. I joined character Bree as her life became upside down after her beloved dog, Danny, disappeared one day.

Bree has other family problems with both her parents absent often in pursuit of developing media related careers.  When Danny first is gone, Bree valiantly searches her immediate locked secure neighborhood. Immediately beyond her area, Bree finds Danny’s collar stuck in a hedge. The collar her broken apart so Danny is on the loose.

Now begins the real heart of this story.  Bree goes the usual route of checking shelters all to no avail. At one point Bree risks her life to prevent a dog from being run over by a speeding car.  The dog’s owner, Rayleen, is associated with Vox Street Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter. Soon  Bree is deeply involved.
Rayleen is truly a character.  She travels in a truck with 9-10 dogs along. She has come to this shelter basically because they are in great need and soon might be forced to put some dogs to sleep.  Bree is aghast at this prospect and gets involved in plans to save the animals and the shelter.

While all of the activity is getting Bree’s attention  her family life and school life are becoming more and more involved.  In school Bree is assigned a role in English class where she will be playing queen to the most popular boy,  Ashton, playing king. She has a minor tiff with her mother, the TV reporter, and her father is off reporting another incident.

Bree always of the lookout for her dog Danny,  soon becomes immersed in Rescue work. This rescue work  consumes Bree and her family and friends. This truly is the meat of the story and make s a dramatic pitch to get more young people involved in rescue work at shelters.

What the young people in the story do can serve as a model for youngster anywhere. Cruelty and abandonment are serious problems in society today.  Getting young people involved should help educate all of us to alleviate some of these problems. The ending, of course, is happy, but I felt deserving for our young heroine. She has surmounted various obstacles but has done so with logic and hard work–good examples for young readers of today.

Imagine Jack’s  surprise when one day, after he gets lost in the woods,  he is approached by a large grizzly bear. He tells the bear the woods are dangerous and full of ferocious wild beasts who gobble people up.  The bears asks if they gobble up bears, and Jack replies Yes. With some fear the bear agrees to lead Jack out of the forest. Along the way they encounter other wild beasts who are equally alarmed over the wild ferocious animals of the forest. This makes for a wonderful parade of scared ferocious animals. Mother ultimately finds Jack and safely leads him out of the forest and home.

Chris Wormell’s art is absolutely perfect for this amusing clever storyline. The expressions on the faces of the animals, when they hear of the ferocious wild animals in the forest, are wonderful.  The ending, when a real ferocious something (Jack’s mother) comes into the forest,  the faces of the forest animals are extra special. Such fear will send young listeners or readers into giggle fits.

The art is up to Mr Wormell’s usual high standards. There is a minimum of details allowing the reader/listener to focus full attention on the title characters. This is a magnificent book.

A new book goes way beyond the familiar and takes youngsters back to grandparents’ farm.  THE TRUE GIFT: A CHRISTMAS STORY  by Patricia MacLachlan , illustrated by Brian Floca (Atheneum,  2009, $12.99) opens with Liam and Lily arriving at their grandparents for an annual holiday visit. Liam has brought his red sock with grey trim full of money to buy presents for everyone. Both children enjoy the friendly atmosphere of the small town where their grandparents live.

Since their last visit all the farm stock have been sold off. In the barnyard stands a lone white cow. The children are told the cow simply arrived one day and has been staying there at the farm. Both children are concerned the lone white cow must be lonely. There are no other animals on the farm at this time.

Things begin to happen when this notice appears on the bulletin board at the post office. WANTED: A cow friend for a lonely sad cow. It is Christmas and she needs a friend. Think how you’d feel. I’m buying, call Liam. (Gran and Grandpa’s phone number is at the bottom.)

Well, this is the season of wonders and strange happenings. A delightful honest simple story capturing the real meaning of this holiday especially as it relates to two youngsters imbued with holiday love. One to cherish after the buying rush.

Simple, direct , not burdened down with details. a simple statement of fact. The artwork is also equally effective. The final end papers contain simple little actions we all can do to help alleviate this serious problem. Available Spring 2010

Upon arriving at the stable her father owns and where her brother is training to become a jockey Lidie discovers she is regarded as the young child they left behind.  She must work to prove to them she is capable of doing more adult tasks and chores. A foal was born at the time of Lidie’s arrival in the states  She is determined to put all of her riding skills to the ultimate test by riding the filly her father has just purchased.

Her father finally accepts his spirited daughter aboard his spirited horse. This story provides a glimpse into the life of the people who populate the horse racing world today.

A compelling read with special interest for horse loving female readers where the ultimate dream is to have  their own special horse.

Pip says she is a bird and she has wings, so she wants to fly. Learning how to fly, however, presents a variety of problems. With each attempt and subsequent failure, she learns a song. Thanks to her best friend, Merry, a near accident becomes a wonderful experience for Pip and she ends saying. “Swimming is flying!”

The artwork is magnificent. Youngster Pip really looks like a young child. Her plumage is all askew and her features reflect what one would imagine a very young penguin might resemble. Pip is expressive and and shows great fun in each spread. Any young child can easily determine Pip’s mood as she struggles to get lift-off to fly. I feel certain much laughter will accompany each reading. Loved it and I am certain kids will too.

A new book,  MUKTAR AND THE CAMELS by Janet Graber,  illustrated by Scott Mack (Henry Holt,  2009, $16.99) takes our young reader into an orphanage on the Kenya and Somalia border. An orphan Muktar dreams fondly of his family when he tended their camels.  One day a visitor arrives with camels and books. However one of the camels is injured and Muktar offers his help to the traveler. The traveler is a librarian working for the Kenya National Library Service and not particularly adept at handling camels. Muktar is taken on and promises to return often to the orphanage to replenish their supply of books.

Lines from this text illustrating the differences between cultures are fantastic. For example after a day of travel Muktar lay beside the camel and “The tangy smell of fresh excrement makes him drowsy.” The young boy’s life differs so radically from what most American children would ever encounter. Yet, these are the young people our young people must face in the future. I feel strongly that if all cultures could ever really get to know each other, more than superficially on television, so much of the conflicts would be lessened if not eliminated.