REVIEW: Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog by Lisa Papp

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Peachtree Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary


Madeline Finn’s puppy, Star, is finishing his training to be a therapy dog by visiting a retirement village. Star does well on his tests, and Madeline makes sure he practices. And the residents of Walker Oaks love him. But one resident doesn’t respond to Star or Madeline’s efforts to connect.

Review


Another winner of a book by Lisa Papp starring Madeline Finn! I don’t think I personally could use this one for a read aloud, though, because I think I choked up on every single page. This is precious!

Madeline is sweet and earnest. Star is adorable. The soft illustrations in this series feel like warm hugs. And once again, books and reading play as big a role as the sweet, cuddly dogs.

Do not miss ANY of the books in this series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD – Service Dog Stories

I’ve noticed a trend lately of stories with service dogs central to the plot. I have read several of them and have really enjoyed them, so I thought I would  collect some of them here. If you have enjoyed any of these, you might enjoy some of the others!

Sadie: The Dog Who Found the Evidence – These early reader books are great for introducing kids to stories about service dogs. In this series are also books about a dog named Gabe who is a military dog and one named Stella who is a therapy dog.

 

 

Ranger in Time  – This is a terrific series for elementary school readers about Ranger, a dog who almost passed the service dog training (darn squirrels). Now, thanks to a magical first aid box, Ranger travels in time to disasters and helps kids. Book one is Rescue on the Oregon Trail. This is book pictured is the most recent Ranger story.

 

 

Dog Diaries: Barry – In the Dog Diaries series, the dogs tell their own stories. In Barry, kids can read about a St Bernard who rescues travelers in the snowy Swiss Alps.

 

 

 

Chester and Gus – I adored Chester! Chester is adopted by a family to help their severely autistic son, Gus. You can read my review here.

 

 

Ellie’s Story – Ellie tells her own story here about becoming a search and rescue dog. It’s a cute, fun, emotional story from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed Ellie’s voice throughout.

 

 

A Dog Like Daisy – This is a new release from June. I haven’t read it yet, but it sounds fantastic. Again, the dog gets to tell the story. This time, Daisy is working as a therapy dog for a veteran with PTSD.

 

 

Hero – Hero is a series of books, two so far, with a third releasing this fall. In this book, Hero is a retired search and rescue dog who has to use his skills to save a puppy. In book two, Hero has to find a boy and the puppy during a hurricane.  This series sounds great for kids who love adventure stories and dog stories.

 

 

Secret Service Dogs – For adults, here is a highly rated book about the dogs used in the Secret Service to protect the president and our country.

 

 

 

If you are a fan of heroic stories starring dogs, be sure to check these out!