Barking Planet Children's & YA Books

Dogs...Beyond the Waggy Tail

A Waggy Tail...

The Planet Of TheDogs books are written for all young readers and not just dog lovers. Dogs, however, have inspired all our books.

Dogs do have positive qualities that most people, of any age, will respond to.... 

When a dog sees a human they like, the tail begins to wag. 

For someone who lives alone, for an older person, for someone who is healing, for a child...for anyone open to the unconditional love that forms the basis of the  relationship between dogs and people (human canine bond), the wagging tail will touch the heart.

Perhaps this is why more than 46 million families in the USA alone have one or more dogs.

Imagine how many tails are wagging at this very moment...imagine the postive impact on all those dog lovers.

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Dogs and Other Animals...

Long, long ago --  in the time of our storie -- we have introduced four other primary animals -- horses, sheep, bears and reindeer. No elephants thus far, but they are coming in future books.

Meanwhile, a friend sent us a link to a video of a remarkable friendship between an elephant and a dog. In an animal sanctuary where elephants bond in pairs, and dogs live together in a pack, a most unusual and moving bonding has occurred between a dog and an elephant. Definitely worth a look. Try visiting this amazing YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBtFTF2ii7U&feature=related

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Therapy Reading Dogs Inspire Kids to Read...

 

We first learned of therapy reading dogs when we joined Sheboygan, WI, teacher Julie Hauck in her "Pages for Preston program." Jezebel, who is Preston's partner in the program is pictured on the left.

If you have a therapy reading dog, or you are a teacher or librarian using a therapy dog reading program, let us know and we will send you one or more complimentary books from the Planet Of The Dogs series...emai us at [email protected]  

We currently support therapy reading dog programs in IN, NY, NJ, CT, RI, NH, FL,and WI.

We have just begun a new relationship with Star, in Indiana. More on Star, soon.

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LIBRARIANS...Barking Planet Productions is a member of IBPA and IPNE...

We will be exhibiting the Planet Of The Dogs Series in the IPNE/IBPA dislay area at the next ALA Covention January 10, 2010.

 

To  read sample chapters from all our books , please visit our website
 www.planetofthedogs.net 
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Barb Techel's New Book...

Frankie, the Walk'N Roll Therapy Dog Visits Libby's House...

This new true story book -- the second in the series --  takes young readers on an inspiring journey... Frankie becomes a therapy dog and brings healing to old people. All children who have read the award winning first book relate to Frankie's courage. Now, they will be fascinated by his ability to open the hearts of old people and bring hope and friendship into their lives...a lovely illustrated story for children, parents and grandparents.

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Looking for Undiscovered Gems in a Bestseller World by Sheila Ruth...

We continue with another excerpt from this important, informed, and heartfelt article by Sheila from her Wands and Worlds Blog..."a community for anyone who loves juvenile and young adult science fiction"...www.wandsandworlds.com

..."From a Scholastic Magazine report: Trouble finding books they like is a key reason kids say they do not read more frequently...

According to the same Scholastic report, the top five ways that kids get ideas about what books to read for fun are, in order: Mom, friends, teachers, library or librarians, and Dad... Given the importance of the people in their lives in helping kids find books...doesn't it behoove everyone who works with kids to learn about as many different books as possible?

Teachers and librarians often rely on book lists, awards, and reviews to help them decide which books to purchase...it doen't help when all the lists, all the awards, and all the sources of information are talking about the same books."

TO BE CONTINUED...

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Bad to The Bone by Bo Hoefinger

Interim Report...our copy finally arrived. From excerpts and the blog, we expected many smile and chuckles...we found them, but this book, written from a dog's perspective, also has much more to offer the reader as it follows the course of a fascinating family through the struggles, as well of the joys of life...a dog lovers delight...To Be Continued. 

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Born Without A Tail and Yelodoggie

Here is the current dog family of Cayrl Ariel Wulff. The little Chihuahua in the front-left is Taco, the pack favorite, who has a very special place in Ariel's heart.

In Born Without a Tail, her true and heartfelt saga of a lifetime jouney as an animal lover and savior of strays and unwanted dogs and cats, Ariel writes, "At times our work with animals has been a financial strain and physically and emotionally draining...All this considered, I would not change the past even if I could...The rewards of unconditional love that the animals have brought us far outweigh any of the negatives....our lives have been enriched a thousand times over for having shared their lives." 

Entering

Cayrl Ariel Wulff's world is taking a step beyond the world that most of us know, even dog lovers. It is a most rewarding journey. Her writing reveals one side of talen and love for animals...she is also an artist/designer...

Her delightful Yelodoggie design work...cards, bags cups (like the one pictured on the left) and more can be found at www.cafepress.com

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How the  Dogs saved Christmas...

If you know a child who wants to know how the dogs saved Christmas, consider giving them a gift copy of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale. It tells the story, long shrouded in mystery, of how the dogs came down to Planet Earth and saved Christmas. It all happened long, long ago...

The King of the North secretly kidnapped Dasher and Dancer. No one, not even the elves, knew that they were hidden in the Ice Castle. Without his special reindeer to pull his sled, Santa Santa would not be able to deliver presents.

Only the dogs could find a way to save the reindeer, and Santa, from the evil King of the North. The story is told, just as it happened, in Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale

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Next Blog... Homeschoolers and the Planet Of The Dogs... reviews of  two books about about Marines. dogs, and Iraq...defending Green Valley... more on our next book Planet of the Dogs--A Travel Guide...update on The Fun Times Guide to Dogs...and more

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"Much has been written about the loyalty of dogs, but what I love about them isn't their devotion to me so much as their devotion to being alive.""

--Steven Bauer--Take That Will Rogers

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Dogs, Books and Inspiration

  Dogs are Amazing...

When dogs bond with people, there are great possibilities for surprise, inspiration and joy. 

Molly Tortoro, mom, teacher, dog lover and book reviewer, surprised us when she wrote on her blog, My Cozy Book Nook, a warm and affirmative review of a book, A Big Little Life, by Dean Koontz. Our surprise lay in the fact that Koontz, who we always associated with genre novels of horror, fear and the supernatural, had written a loving book about his dog, Trixie.

To fully understand our surprise, here is an excerpt from the book quoted on the blog: "Other companion animals can make us more human, but because of the unique nature of dogs -- their clear delight in being with us, the rejoicing with which they greet us when we come home to them, the reliable sunniness of their disposition, the joy they bring to playtime, the curiousity and wonder with which they embrace each new experience -- they can melt away cynicism and sweeten a bitter heart."

To read all of her review, visit Molly's blog, at:http://mycozybooknook.blogspot.com

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Elves and Dogs

Elves are found in myriad forms in the literature and mythology of many cultures. 

Elves had never seen dogs until two of Santa's reindeer were missing.Fortunately they were instantly able -- just as children are -- to understand dogs.

The elves built the splecial sleds that enabled Daisy, Bean and the Tundra Town Traders to support the dogs in their plan to save Christmas. The dogs were able to enter the Ice Castle and free Dasher and Dancer from the King of the North. 

Visit our website, www.planetofthedogs.net to learn more and to read sample chapters of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale.

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Amazing Sheepdogs...A Video treat...

A group of farmers, somewhere in the British Isles, are doing the most amazing things. Have you ever seen mysterious patterns of light moving through hills and meadows..?  

http://video.telegraph.co.uk/services/player/bcpid1137883380? bctid=17075685001

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Looking for Undiscovered Gems in a Bestseller World (continued)

Here is another excerpt from the important post by Sheila Ruth on www.wandsandwords.com.

Ms Ruth wrote about the difficulty today "to recognize and discover those good books that may not make bestseller status". Indeed, how does the child, the teacher, the librarian or the parent find that special book? On her website, dedicated to "anyone who loves reading juvenile and young adult science fiction and fantasy", she wrote:

 "According to the 2008 Scholastic Kids and Reading Report,'Trouble finding books is the key reason kids say they do not read more frequently'. This, in spite of the fact that approximately 30 thousand new children's books are being released each year. With so many books, why are children having trouble finding something to read? Maybe it's because they keep hearing about the same fifity books over and over again, and they don't know how to find other good books that will interest them in the vast quantitites of books out there."

We will continue with excerpts from Ms Ruth in future posts.

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Therapy Reading Dogs

We support Therapy Reading Dog Programs in NY, NJ, PA, NH, RI, FL, and WI.

If you have a therapy reading dog, or you are a librarian or teacher paticipating in a reading program, let us know, and we will send you one or more complimentary books from the Planet Of The Dogs series...Email us at [email protected]

We believe that kids like to read dog stories to dogs. On the left, is a photo of Rocky, in a New Hampshire classroom. Rocky also works with senior citizens and veterans. You can visit Rocky at: http//rockytherapydog.blogspot.com 

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Librarians...

Barking Planet Productions is a member of IBPA and IPNE. We will be exhibiting the Planet Of The Dogs book series in the IPNE exhibit at the next  ALA Convention in Jan '10.

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Yelodoggie...Yelodoggie

Dog lovers...Here's another special gift idea from Cayr Ariel Wulff, author of the wonderful book, Born Without A Tail...

it's the Yelodoggie Tote Bag.

To see more -- you can tell we are big fans of her work --  visit www.yelodoggie.com.

Meanwhile, it's Halloween, and Dillon, a much beloved dog (see our previous blog), who has a chapter devoted to him in Born Without A Tail, is pictured in his award winning Robin Hood costume. It is difficult to see in the photo, but his costume includes a miniature bow and arrow and a velcro attached quiver. We should also mention that when the panel of judges (the local mayor and neighborhood residents) announced that he had won first prize, Dillon began to jump up and down and bark. Happy Halloween.

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We are waiting for our copy of Bad to the Bone, the first book written by a dog (the first we know of) to arrive. The advanced chapters that we read, and the things written on the web site (http://boknowsonline.com), have us looking foward to the book's arrival.

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"Not only do they save Christmas, but they also teach the King of the North an important lesson he'll never forget. Written in folk style and illustrated in beautiful pencil drawings, Snow Valley Heroes is a charming and heart-warming Christmas tale."

 by Alice Berger:http://bergersbookreviews.wordpress.com

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