Barking Planet Children's & YA Books

There Will Be Peace

In Castle In The Mist, the dogs must again come down to planet earth from The Planet Of The Dogs.

They are the only hope to prevent war beteen the Black Hawk tribe and the Stone City Warriors.

Winter is coming to the land of the Forest People, no one in this part of the world has ever seen a dog before, and the children, kidnapped by Prince Ukko, must be freed from the Castle In The Mist.

The story takes place long, long ago, when dogs first came down to planet earth...    

        CASTLE IN THE MIST  WILL BE  AVAILABLE MARCH 10.

                  Here is an ADVANCE REVIEW from Alaska:

"Loving brave dogs come down to Earth to help oppressed forest people in this fantasy of kidnapping and war...short,inviting chapters keep the pace going. And, in spite of war, an underlying atmosphere of kindness prevails; there is little acttual violence. Especially fine black and white illustrations add much understanding to the text. Young people who want a fast read will probably zip through the story and ask for more." -Nancy Warren Ferrell, Juvenile Book Review Committee, Juneau Public Library.

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"Whoever loves me will love my dog also.(Qui me amat, amat et canem meum)" -- Saint Bernard (1150)

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Dog Lovers and Kids Understand...

In all our books in the Planet Of The Dogs series, dogs and children understand each other. Long, long ago, when the dogs first come down to earth, it is the children who initially serve as "translators" for adults who have no idea of what an incredible creature a dog is, what their capabilities are, or what they are about.

We recently received a message "from one dog lover to another" that passed along a touching story told by a veterinarian demonstrating, once again, a child's understanding  of dogs.

The vet couldn't save a family dog, a ten year old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. He offered to perform a euthanasia procedure at the house of Linda, Ron and their six year old son, Shane. In the words of the veterinarian, this is what happened:

"I felt a familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrouded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a very short time, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why!...People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.' " 

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"Dogs are...wonderful. Truly. To know them is an experience that trancends -- a way to understand the joyfulnes of living and devotion."  Gary Paulson,Winterdance (1984)

                               

Dogs Across the Ocean

How do two dogs and their families become friends when separated by the Atlantic Ocean?

Answer: Their families find that each brings something different, something special to the other. It happened to us...

The dogs: Muddrella-waters aka Muddy, an 8 year old Boxer- Chinese Shar-Pei with a wonderful, soulful face...an ASPCA adoption, a...rescued puppy who lives in upstate New York lake country with a "mom" who, in addition to being a dog lover, bakes wonderful, all natural, made to order dog treats.

Our family dog is Dafi, a 6 year old Belgian Shepherd with an excellent disposition and appetite...Dafi lives in Helsinki, Finland...Just before Xmas, a surprise treat of Muddy's Munchies arrived for Dafi. He ate them with gusto and always hoped for more. Every day for a week, Dafi had a smile and a wag when he saw the bag of cookie munchies appear.

Dafi's happy week of Munchies began several weeks before when his "mom" posted this review of Planet Of The Dogs in a Forum on the Dogster Website:

"I just recently read the book called Planet Of The Dogs, such a heart warming story about how dogs come down to earth and help humans learn about love, and help them in their time of need...Definitely a must read!!!

Check it out at www.planetofthedogs.net. I give it 4 paws up."

We began emailing...When I learned about Muddy's Munchies (www.muddysmunchies.com) , I sent them to family and friends with dogs in the USA (at that time, they were not available in Europe) who raved about them. Now we have a family friendship of dogs and people despite living across the ocean from each other.

"Recollect that the Almighty, who gave the dog to be companion of our pleasures and our toils, hath invested him with a nature noble and incapable of deceit."...Sir Walter Scott,The Talisman (1825).