Barking Planet Children's & YA Books : Books, Kids and Dogs

It Boggles the mind,

To think of what would have happened if the king of the North had succeeded in stopping Christmas...

To think of the destruction that the Stone City warriors were bringing to Green Valley...

To think of the chaos that would have ensued if Prince Ukko's Black Hawk soldiers had succeeded in capturing the dogs...

If not for the special qualities of the dogs could there have been non-violent outcomes and peaceful solutions?

We are grateful that they came down from the Planet Of The Dogs to help us.

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If reading opens kids to new worlds...

And dogs open kids to reading...

Then let there be more therapy reading dogs.

Our introduction to therapy dog reading programs came through
Pages for Preston, an outstanding program developed by Julie Hauck, a third grade teacher at the Longfellow Elementary School in Sheboygan,WI.

Julie's outstanding program introduced us to the wondrous results that are being achieved by therapy reading dogs in developing enthusiasm and skills in reading programs by young children.

This month, we have started a celebration -- with photos -- of our therapy reading dog friends.

To begin, we are introducing our newest therapy dog friend, Otto, and his owner, Ira.

Ira writes: "Otto likes being with people, but he especially likes children.

He is curious and fun...Otto has spent time working with children during Speech Language Pathology sessions in public middle school, and has spent summer as "dog in residence" at Camp Jori, an overnight camp for children in Rhode Island where he not only brought many smiles, but starred as Toto in the Wizard Of Oz."
Otto is certified through Dog Bones.

Between now and Christmas, as a tribute the their wonderful work, we are reprising photos of therapy reading dogs who have included our books in their programs.

The therapy reading dogs pictured above are, from left to right, Bessie, Callie and Star.

We are also offering a complimentary copy of Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, to librarians,
teachers or dog owners who are encouraging kids to read to therapy dogs...(email us a [email protected])

The ability of these dogs to create trust, to heal the spirit, and to bring joy to the lives of children and adults alike is rather extraordinary. We salute them.

We currently support therapy reading dog programs in Indiana, Wisconsin, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Florida and Texas.
Let kids read dog stories to dogs!

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The Intimacy of Reading...And a Great Photographer

"There's an intimacy people have with a book and its author that is similar to what couples have," says Steve McCurry, one of the most creative photojournalists in the world. "Reading is a common link in our shared humanity, a thing we do that is regardless of where we are economically or socially."

McCurry is perhaps best known for one of the most famous photographs ever taken -- I remember it from National Geographic -- the Afghan Girl with vivid green eyes, staring with great intensity, directly at the viewer.
To read Edward Nawotka's insightful article in Publishing Perspectives about McCurry's ongoing project of "compiling a collection of photos of people reading," posted for the first time on his blog in August, and entitled "Fusion, The Synergy of Energy and Words", visit:
http://publishingperspectives.com/?p=19542
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Ariel Wulff, author of the dog lover's delight, Born Without a Tail, is now posting a lively, wide ranging and well written dog lover's Blog: Up On The Woof.

Topics have ranged from Pets in Danger on Craig's List and How Much Does a Dog Understand, to HR3501-Tax Deductions for Pet Care and Canine Freestyle: a New Height in the Human Canine Bond.

Ariel is the same woman who, in addition to her lifetime of caring for strays, abused and abandoned dogs, cats and other critters(as told in Born Without a Tail), developed the delightful Yelodoggie cards and gifts.

She is now also writing a Pet Rescue column for the Cleveland Examiner online.

Visit her blog at:http://thewoof.wordpress.com
Visit her website at www.yelodoggie.com

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NEIBA... the New England Independent Booksellers Convention, in Providence, RI, is taking place as I write these words...

We are here, but our Planet Of The Dogs series is there...the books are part of the IPNE (Independent Book Publishers of New England) exhibit...

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Satisfy your curiousity -- or that of a child -- read sample chapters of the Planet Of The Dogs series at: www.planetofthedogs.net

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Snow Valley Heroes, A Christmas Tale, recently won the 2010 Silver Award from the Young Voices Foundation.

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Amazing Video
Canine bonding....a new dimension...You don't need to be a dog lover to be amazed...Steve Hartman of CBS News: Assignment America...an elephant surprise:
http://youtube.comwatch/?v=cBtFTF2ii7U&feature=related

Plus...A friend sent us this -- also amazing -- video of Carrie, the merengue dancing dog..owner, Jose Fuentes from Chile...found on the Huffington Post:
www.youtube.com/watch?tv=Nc9xq-TVyHI&feature=related

And... For Dog Lovers and all who care about dog rescue...

We have Deb Eade's new video.. Deb is the author of Every Rescued Dog Has a Tale, a heart warming personal saga...Deb is an always active member of the Dog Rescue Railroad.

http://everyrescueddoghasatale.blogspot.com/2010/09/new-video-about-transporting-dogs-faces.html

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Way Cool Dogs...

Nancy Houser's imagination, inquiring mind, and love for dogs combine in this site to bring an ongoing array of information and insights to the visitors at
http://www.waycooldogs.com...here is an example, the opening of an article on The Healing Power of Dogs, posted last summer:

"The healing power of dogs has entered mainstream medicine, with physicians coming to the realization that therapy dogs can be used as office healing dogs to reduce stress, anxiety, hypertension and nervousness in worried patients arriving for their scheduled appointments. It is also used successfully for patients with "white coat syndrome"... The dog in the photo was rescued and lives on the Way Cool Dogs
ranch/farm with Nancy and her partner Sandra Marquiss.

I just learned from a guest post by Sarah Coleman on Way Cool Dogs that October is National Adopt a Shelter Dog Month.

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Good Books for Kids...is an informed, lively, caring and intelligent site for kid's book reviews. We like to visit and see what they 've beeen reading, what they recommend... Recently, they gave a top review to It's A Book, and they posted a charming video of the book -- The Skinny -- that will make you smile, giggle, or laugh...
www.booksforkids-reviews.com/2010/08/its-book-by-lane-smith.html

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Dogs As Healers...

An excerpt from an article in the New York Times, Exploring the Health Benefits of Pets, by Carla Baranaukas.
"When Chad, a yellow Labrador retriever, moved in with Claire Vaccaro's family in Manhattan last spring, he already had an important role. As an autism service dog, he was joining the family to help protect Ms Vacarro's 11 year old son, Milo -- especially in public, where he often had tantrums or tried to run away.
Like many companion animals, whether service dogs or pets, Chad had an immediate effect -- the kind of effect that is noticeable, but has yet to be fully understood through scientific study. And it went beyond the tether that connects boy and dog in public."
To read more of the dogs healing impact on the boy's life, comments by medical authorities and more, visit:
www.nytimes.com/2009/10/06/health/06pets.html? r=1&ref=health

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Librarians and teachers...

NELA Conference...Holiday Inn, Boxborough, MA...
October 17-19

If you visit the IPNE Exhibit
You will find our Books

Planet Of The Dogs

Castle In The Mist

Snow Valley heroes, A Christmas Tale

Order our books directly through Ingram (professional discount for Libraries and schools)

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Our books are available in the USA at your local Independent Bookstore...

Or on the Internet...

In the USA and Canada via Amazon, B&N, Powell's and others...In the UK through Amazon and Bangzo...In Australia through Scribbly Gum Books and Fishpond.com...In India through Flipkart and Rediff Books...in Finland through www.bookplus.fi...In Africa through glendorabooks.net and jump.co.za

Hats, T-shirts, mugs etc from the Planet Of The Dogs are available at our Cafe Press Shop

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46 million families in the USA alone have one or more dogs.
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Homeschoolers...coming in our next post

Researchers estimate that there are 1.5 to 2 million Homeschoolers in theUSA, representing 3 to 4 per cent of the school age population -- and more than 80,000 in Canada.
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Paws For A Cure

When and where:October 3--Liberty Park Garden
A pet show and dog day fun show, now celebrating their third year...along with a 3 Day walk event...all to benefit the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Photos below by Amanda Jackson of last year's event....

Contact organizer Rebecca Todd for more information at [email protected]
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