Search results matching tag 'dogs'

Stick to the schedule

HipChick@evpl — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:12:00 GMT

Mister Bud likes things the way they are...his house, his toys, his schedule. But when a new dog comes to live with him, there's trouble. Zorro is bossy, Mister Bud is grumpy, but something surprising happens. Say Hello to Zorro! is about two complete opposites who find out they could be best friends. Anyone who has ever had a dog will love the charming illustrations in this book. Check it out today!

W-a-g D-i-g M-u-d

HipChick@evpl — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 21:14:00 GMT

Meet Rocket, a sweet white dog who just wants to nap all day. But, tiny yellow bird has other ideas--like teaching him the wonderful alphabet. Rocket starts sounding out letters and spelling words, but, summer only lasts so long and little yellow bird must fly south for the winter. Rocket can't wait for S-P-R-I-N-G! How Rocket Learned to Read is a beautifully illustrated book that will prompt reading it again and again and again!

Enjoy everything Back to School especially P-I-Z-Z-A Thursday!

Remarkable Story of an Owl and His Girl

wag.mado@evpl — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:13:00 GMT

Yes, that's the subtitle of the book I just finished. Wesley the Owl is a must for anyone who has ever been in love with an animal. The story is written by Stacey O'Brien, who was a lab assistant at Cal Tech when she adopted a 4-day-old barn owl after he suffered permanent nerve damage and could not survive in the wild.

The story, which spans close to 20 years, is filled with fascinating anecdotes of the relationship that developed between these two sentient beings. O'Brien's education as a biologist helps the reader understand many interesting facts about barn owls, but that does not keep her from falling deeply in love with Wesley. The story has a deeper meaning which is about unconditional love and commitment and is referred to many times in the book as "the way of the owl."

I found this memoir humorous, heartwarming, educational, compassionate, and I had a hard time putting it down. I'll never think of barn owls the same again.

A day after finishing the book, I tuned in to Oprah where she featured a man whose best friend is a Grizzly Bear. That segment was followed by a friendship between an elephant and a dog at the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald Tennessee -- the same place where Evansville's beloved "Bunny" lived out her last few years. Must have been my week for animal relationship stories!

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

lit.fic.reader@evpl — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 17:32:00 GMT

I rarely read novels in which an animal is a significant character, but the companionship of my two cats over the past twelve years has made me a bit more aware of this type of fiction. I recently enjoyed a touching new novel , The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, a Seattle-area author. In part, I was intrigued by the title, which I assumed to be a reference to the canine protagonist frolicking in the damp Seattle climate, but is actually a reference to his race car-driving owner. Although I have no interest in auto racing (bad Hoosier!), I did enjoy the relationship between the beleaguered family and Enzo, their protective and philosophical dog, nearing the end of his days as the novel begins. The loving dog has regretted not being able to more directly help his family during various travails. After spending much of his indoors life absorbing everything he can from TV auto racing channels (not to mention a fascination with the Weather Channel), Enzo yearns for a human reincarnation. This one's a charming tear-jerker.

Love & Death

Shh_ImReading@evpl — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:42:00 GMT

Sunday night I finished reading The Ghost in Love by Jonathan Carroll. I still haven't figured out how I really feel about it. It's a little bit creepy, a little bit funny and a lot weird. It is a book that entertains, but also makes you think about some big things. It's a lot about love and how much we need it. Everything in the book changes constantly and at times I found it hard to keep track of what was happening, but that gave the book a nice momentum too. I can say with confidence that I enjoyed reading it and hope others will enjoy reading it too. To sum it up though... I don't think I can do that. Instead, I will tell you a little about the characters. They're a unique bunch.

Ben Gould loves to cook and talk about food, cares for his dog Pilot and is in love with German Landis. He had a bad fall and hit his head on a curb. He was scheduled to die that day, but he did not. Not-dying has complications of its own. German Landis is Ben Gould's (ex)girlfriend. She's an art teacher, loves Formula One racing, shares responsibility for Pilot and struggles to understand what Ben is going through. Pilot is a sort of stoic dog. His character is much rounder than most animals in works of fiction where the majority of characters are human. From the title, you know there is a ghost. Ling is Ben's ghost, even though he didn't die. Danielle Voyles is pulled into the mix because she too had an accident that was supposed to kill her but didn't. These are the main characters, but there are other interesting appearances by characters such as the Angel of Death (call him Stanley), some unique, protective creatures called verzes and others.

Have you read The Ghost in Love? What did you think of it? Have you read anything else by Jonathan Carroll?

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt

HRevvdon@evpl — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:39:00 GMT

I finished The Underneath (2008) by Kathi Appelt over the weekend. I am not sure what to say about it. The first thought I had was "why would anyone write this book?" It is a young readers/juvenile fiction book and a finalist for the National Book Award, and I wonder why? I would not want my child to read it. I stopped reading several times, but I did pick it up again. When I read about the book I knew there would be some cruelty but I was not prepared for how much I received.

A mother cat is dumped off by her owners because she is going to have kittens. The mother cat is befriended by a hound dog that has been chained to the corner of a falling down bayou shack to be an "alarm" because he is not good for anything else in his cruel master's opinion. The dog is starved, beaten, and has not been off the chain for years. The kittens are born under the shack in The Underneath where they are sheltered and protected by the unique alliance between the cat and dog. This is a lesson in diversity and family that is not as well written as it could be and gets loss in a lesson of both the thoughtless and intentional cruelty of people towards animals. The dog's owner is a victim of his mother's desertion and his father's drunken abuse. He is a monster, there is no humanity left in him. He cares nothing for any life. All ends well, well, as well as can be expected. It is a horrific journey. The thoughts of the animals and the conversations between the animals were well written, that and the second story line kept me reading.

The second story line involves a 100 foot alligator, a 1000 year old grandmother snake, her shape-changing daughter, son-in-law, and granddaughter. This mythic and mystical story, at times, is better written than the cat/dog story line. The switching back and forth of the story lines sometimes helps to move the story along and sometimes hinders it. I would have enjoyed reading a more developed version of this mystic tale and its prehistoric peoples.

I did not like this book, mostly because of the cruelty to the animals - I could not get past that to appreciate the book as a whole.

Can you Haiku? Could you Dogku?

bookchick@evpl — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 20:56:00 GMT

If I had discovered a book like this when I was in the fourth grade trying to write all different kinds of poetry for school assignments life would have been a whole lot easier. And more fun.

Each page of this delightful book is an independent haiku. Taken together the haiku form the complete story of a dog who finds a new home. How could you not fall in love with this adorable face? This is a face that inspires poetry.Take him home, curl up on the couch and enjoy the simplicity of the haiku.

The author, andrew Clements, says it best:

In the wide garden,

I am dizzy with flowers.

I choose a small vase.

"That's what haiku is like - like a small vase, a small container. Choosing a small container can help you pick the perfect words and arrange them just right. And why did I write this picture book using haiku? Because a picture book is also a small container - not many pages, not many words.

Adorable dog + haiku = Dogku.

Simple."

The Longest Trip Home

wag.mado@evpl — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:08:00 GMT

After reading several mixed reviews on John Grogan's newest book, I took the plunge and decided I'd see for myself. I really didn't think there was any way I could like the book as much as the bestselling "Marley and Me", but I didn't think it would be as bad as some of the reviews I read either.

This memoir is mostly a story about growing up Catholic in the 1950's. Since, I grew up Catholic in the 1950's, I could relate with almost everything - except being an altar boy. I could also understand how those who did not grow up Catholic may not like the book - and realized how those who are Catholic could be offended or taken aback by Grogan's feelings about his religious upbringing with extremely devout parents.

The book (which I listened to on audio, read by Grogan himself) did have places that seemed to drag on. However, I stayed with it because I never lost my curiosity about where the story was taking me, as Grogan tried to become his own person, living life with a moral code different from his parents.

All that being said - I liked this book. It was an honest, sometimes humorous, sometimes heart wrenching memoir, written by a person who tried to find his own place in the world even when it didn't follow the path his parents had in mind. In that respect, this could be the life story of many of us.

Oh, and about the book being as good as "Marley?" Heavens no! Not even Grogan himself could upstage that beloved dog.

Ghost's Hour, Spook's Hour

UndergroundLibrarian@evpl — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:16:00 GMT

How does a kid feel when the electricity goes out in the middle of the night and he can't find anyone but his dog? That's what happens to the boy in Ghost's Hour, Spook's Hour by Eve Bunting. Donald Carrick's pictures are very realistic as boy and dog open a creaky bedroom door and look for his parents in an empty but still-warm bed. The clock strikes 12. "Ghost's hour, spook's hour, " he says. It's a perfect atmospheric story with a happy ending. Not in the Halloween collection, but good for this time of year!

My bologna has a first name...

HipChick@evpl — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:10:00 GMT

Oscar is having a tough halloween. He is a daschund whose mom embarrasses him with a "special" costume, the mean kids make fun of him and hog all the treats, and two pesky cats are just pesky. But, this Hallo-wiener is able to make a heroic rescue and earn everyone's appreciation in the end. A fun halloween book with lots of puns that will thrill kids and adults alike.