Dog Heaven

We're so sad for our friends the Carney's who had to put to sleep their sweet Golden, Berkley, this past weekend. Berkley was such a GREAT dog! I wanted to do something that might help Gavin and Cameron (4 and 2 years old) deal with missing their dog. For anyone who might be dealing with this situation, check out the book, Dog Heaven, by Cynthia Rylant.



During my grad school work, I used a lot of Rylant's picture books with my students, and she is wonderfully talented at writing stories that are beautifully simple and with which kids and adults can relate to. Dog Heaven is one of those sweet books that would be perfect for helping a young child cope with their dog dying. It's comforting to read about how the dogs have open fields to run in and angel children to keep them company. Every dog gets to be a good dog in Heaven, and my favorite part of the story is when Rylant mentions God's sense of humor in giving the dogs treats shaped like squirrels and cats! Really, this book is a great addition to anyone's children's library!

And before you go to Barnes & Noble or Books a Million and pay $16.99 + tax for the book (I think it only comes in hardback), check out your online book sites where you can get it for a fraction of that. (You know me, love to find the deals: I got Gavin and Cameron's book for $5 flat - including shipping!- at www.alibris.com)

Happy Reading!

PS-Oh yeah, and for cat-lovers, there is Cat Heaven too :-)