Sweet Senior Pups

June 1, 2018

Gr 2-5-Narrated by Mino, a 15-year-old blind Pomeranian that lives at the Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland, this title is a love poem to senior dogs and the animal sanctuaries that care for them. Mino shares his history as a lost and then rescued dog, explains how senior dogs are "sugarfaces" (their white muzzles look like they are dipped in sugar), and life at the shelter. Mino's roommates-Buffy, a 12-year-old miniature pinscher and Jack, a 14-year-old poodle-act as co-storytellers and each are given their own chapter. Mino carefully explains how to care for, feed, and love older dogs; the tone is a bit sentimental but there are enough realistic details included to pique more inquisitive readers. The text covers forever homes and even death in a entry called "Rainbow Bridge." Volunteers at the sanctuary as well as adoptive families are featured with lots of personal stories and photos. While much of this title might seem a little precious, the book incorporates a lot of salient information regarding animal health care, including food and toy suggestions as well as how to support local shelters. VERDICT Dog lovers (maybe even cat lovers) will enjoy this entry in the series.-Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York City

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018
First in a pseudo-nonfiction series about animal sanctuaries is the tale of a rescue facility for elderly dogs in Maryland.At Senior Dog Sanctuary of Maryland, older, homeless dogs are rescued, assisted to recover their health, and then, if possible, rehabilitated enough to be placed in foster, "fospice," or forever homes to live out the remainder of their lives. (A fospice is a foster hospice setting.) The story of the sanctuary is related by a few of its residents: Dogs with varying degrees of disability describe their often tragic backgrounds, their lives at the facility and at new homes, and in one case death ("Well, here I finally am at the Rainbow Bridge"). Much of the text is set in a generous font and is relatively easy to read, but some pages that emulate Facebook feeds feature very small text and more challenging vocabulary. There are numerous photos of the always charming dogs (even when clad in cheesy costumes). Extensive backmatter includes recipes for treats for elderly animals as well as suggestions for items that sanctuaries may need to have donated. Publishing simultaneously, Welcome Wombat features the same animal-narrator format but lacks the screenshots and costumed animals. It provides detailed information about a wombat-rescue facility in Australia.Although the information presented is of high interest and accurate, some more scientifically minded readers may be put off by the use of animal voices. (Nonfiction/fiction hybrid. 8-12)

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