Therapy Animals

November 1, 2018

Gr 2-4-Brief text and appealing pictures introduce a variety of working animals. The structure of each book varies appropriately according to the topic: Service Animals devotes one short chapter to "monkey helpers," "hearing dogs," and "guide horses," while Horses on Patrol and Guide Dogs for the Blind focus on a single role. There's just enough information to hook readers, including examples of the work, training methods, and the qualities that make each animal a good choice for its job. Each spread includes a single large photograph; many show the animals engaged in their duties, while some include key tools, such as a military dolphin's camera. VERDICT An engaging introduction for younger readers. For more extensive information about the ways animals help humans, consider Enslow's "Animals at Work" (reviewed below) or Children's Press's excellent "Animal Helpers."

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
Grades 1-3 Friendly animals can do wonders for people who feel scared, lonely, sad, or sick, and therapy animals are trained for exactly this purpose. This volume in the Animals That Help Us series (6 titles) introduces youngsters to a few scenarios where therapy animals are used, through simple text and heartwarming photos. A cat at a nursing home calms residents with its purr. In a different spread, a dog listens to a child practice her reading skills aloud at a library, while another features a special-needs boy riding a horse. Though the text would benefit from a directly stated definition of therapy animals, especially to distinguish them from service animals, readers will still absorb the variety of situations in which these friendly creatures make a positive difference in people's lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)