Darkness Too Visible
A firestorm was started when this headline, followed by a passionate review of current young adult (YA) books, appeared in the Wall Street Journal....
"Contemporary fiction for teens is rife with explicit abuse, violence and depravity. Why is this considered a good idea? "
This was the opening of an article by Meghan Cox Gurdon, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, wherein she took a stand on the pathologies, violence, and brutality that have a prominent place in today's YA (young adult) books. A huge wave of anger from book publishers, authors and others followed. It appeared she was threatening many writers and publishers where it hurt...not in the area of literary quality, but in book sales, and financial reward.
"How dark is contemporary fiction for teens? Darker than when you were a child, my dear: so dark that kidnapping and pederasty and incest and brutal beatings are now just part of the run of things in novels directed, broadly speaking, at children 12 to 18...
If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is. There are of course exceptions, but a careless young reader -- or one who seeks out depravity -- will find himself surrounded by images not of joy or beauty but of damage, brutality and losses of the most horrendous kinds."...link
Our Planet Of The Dogs series of books sound a bark of loyalty and love in a world of Darkness...dogs offering hope and non-violent solutions.
In Castle In The Mist, the dogs must choose whether to kill the leader of a warrior tribe who has taken land, abused people, kidnapped children, tried to start war, and tried to kill the dogs.
The dogs face an age old dilemma: where do you draw the line... what action do you take when, with one move, you have your enemy by the throat?
Our readers are younger than those in the YA world. Hopefully, some of them will remember the dogs and our stories, even as they enter the world of young adulthood and the darkness of the books that await them.
....................................
LitWorld is working to help children have access to the world of reading. Their mission:
"To use the power of story to cultivate literacy skills in the world's most vulverable children through Education, Advocacy and Innovation.
LitWorld creates resilience building reading and writing experiences which connect and fortify communities."
They are featuring an international Stand Up For Girls Day on OCT 11.
For more information and a heart warming video featuring kids who have found the joys of reading, visit their Website: LitWorld
..................................................
Reading Levels for Kids:
What books are good to read and at an appropriate reading level for either a younger child or a young adult(YA)? An excellent source for this information is Good Books for Kids. Here is what they do:
books, and two, to provide the information necessary to choose good books so that children grow up to love reading. Now, since research has shown
Here are excerpts from the book and from the review on Way Cool Dogs, by Nancy Houser -- who also lives with many rescued dogs:
"If you ever visited an elderly person’s home and taken a gander at the collection of prescription pills on their kitchen countertop, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what our kitchen counter looked like in 2007, shortly before we adopted Waldo. We were at the time in our lives when five of the nine pets in our home were aged.”
We at WayCoolDogs can easily related to this paragraph, as our older dogs ranged from 11 to 22 years of age. Our grandma Barby, a miniature American Eskimo, had recently died at the age of 27. Other than becoming blind at the end, she was in good health to the end once we put her on MSM; once we had rescued her from a life of puppy mill circuses at the age of 16. An adoring and affectionate dog, we still see her coming around every corner...
If you are a dog lover and find yourself relating to dogs as we do and Cayr Wulff, check out her website at < http://www.yelodoggie.com >and order the book, Circling the Waggins available in Kindle and book formats."
.........................................
We hope that after you read Circling the Waggins you will take afew minutes and write a review on the Amazon page..
Here is a Kindle link...from now until October 16, amazon prime mebers can borrow a free copy, and others can purchase the electronic version of the book for only $2.99!
.............................................................
If you are wondering about adopting a dog...
Mary Haight, dog and animal activist, blogger at Dancing Dog, and radio Broadcaster at the Animal Cafe has the following list posted on her site...
Top Ten Reasons to Adopt Your New Furry Friend!
1. You save many lives. Not only do you save the life of the animal you adopt, you will get an
animal that is spayed or neutered, which means no unwanted litters to end up at an animal control facility.
2. You get more choices. Shelters often have lots of different breeds available at any given time. (And you can choose from a myriad of rescue organizations dedicated to specific breeds as well.) Also, the ages of the available animals will vary.
3. You won’t be supporting puppy mills. Heinous puppy factory farms will have one less customer to feed their reprehensible business. They produce the worst amalgam of health issues, paying no attention to the physical condition, medical needs, and mental state of their “products”, nor are the female dogs, forced into a constant state of pregnancy for the duration of their lives, cared for or even let out of their cages. Why would anyone want to support such cruel behavior by spending their money In a pet shop?
4. You get more for your money. Shelter animals are fully vaccinated, spay/neutered, in some cases micro-chipped, and heartworm tested.
5. People who have pets often live longer. Researchers theorize it’s because pets reduce the levels of stress hormones in their human companions. Pets also lower blood pressure, and because they provide unquestioning love, the peace of mind that results from that relationship
To read five more reasons to adopt, visit: dancingdog
The dog in the photo is Chewie, adopted and living on Nancy Houser and Sandra Marquis' Way Cool Dog Ranch in Nebraska...along with other found and adopted friends.
............................
Joyful Reunions
Homecoming...this video, of returning Marines being greeted by their dogs, is wonderful... treat yourself and witness these joyous celebrations by clicking this link: Homecoming
To see more of these homecoming videos,visit:Welcome home
...................
Fences for Fido Revisited
These photos tell more of the Fences For Fido
story, for they convey some idea of the volunteers who work together to unchain dogs by building fences for them. Chained dogs suffer physically and emotionally...building fences
frees them for a new life.Here is an excerpt from their website:.
..."We create safer and improved conditions for
chained dogs by also providing shelter, veterinary care, and spay
and neutering services when
necessary. We work to educate families on how to best care for their four-legged family members during the heat of the summer and the cold, wet winter months. Twice a year our team of tireless volunteers visits all of the dogs in the FFF family to make sure
they remain unchained, safe and healthy.
With more than 235 dogs already unchained since May 2009, the mission of Fences For Fido continues..."
The photos were taken by FFF volunteers. The top left photo, featuring Stanley unchained, is by Gabby Francis (Blinker Pet Photograpy). Visit FFF at their website www.fencesforfido.org or on Facebook to see more photos and information.
....................
Oct 14 is National Therapy Dog Reading Day...
.....................
Way Cool Dogs has a wonderful article on Therapy Dogs for Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Here is how it begins:
"Every since we wrote the article, “Orders at Fort Bliss Force Removal of PTSD Service Dogs,” we have been receiving emails from veterans and those in related medical fields requesting help to find PTSD or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) dogs for them. A difficult endeavor at best, we are finding out. PTSD dogs for veterans with PTSD or TBI are hard to find because of the military itself. According to the USNews two days ago, the VA will not cover the costs of service dogs assigned for PTSD treatments … leaving PTSD veterans in desperate trouble.
Family members, veterans with PTSD, and medical staff are the primary people who need PTSD dogs for veterans with PTSD. Service dogs for PTSD veterans are trained to do a specific task, depending on their training and their purpose.
For example, PTSD veterans who suffer mental disabilities are trained to alert the veterans from panic attacks or wake them when they enter nightmares. They can also be trained to remind veterans with PTSD to take their medicine..."
Here is the link to this important, informative article: Veterans
The dog in the illustration is of Billy, from Castle In The Mist.
.........................................
Therapy reading dog owners, librarians, and teachers with therapy reading dog programs...
Write us at [email protected] and we will send you free reader copies of books from the Planet of the Dogs Series.
Read Dog Books to Dogs....Ask any therapy reading dog: "Do you like it when the the kids read dog books to you?"
The photo was taken in teacher Julie Hauck's third grade class in the Longfellow School, Sheboygin,WI. Developed by Julie with her own Therapy Reading Dog, the program is called Pages for Preston. Higher reading levels, skills and appreciation for books have resulted from the children reading to Preston.
.......................................
Tennessee Dog Lovers...help fight cancer and have a great day with your canine friends...The 5th Annual Paws for a Cure Pet Show, Saturday, October 6, 2012,at Conger Park (formally known as Highland Park) in Jackson, TN.
...................................
All books in the Planet Of The Dogs series can be purchased
at your favorite independent bookstore or on the internet through Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Powells and many others.
Librarians, teachers, bookstores -- order our books directly from Ingram...professional discount, of course.
....................
If you live in or near New York City and have a child in the family, visit the Pet Partners' Children's Corner at the Central Park County Fair on Saturday October 3.
Children will have the wonderful experience of reading to a dog with one of the wonderful Pet Partner therapy reading dog teams under the aegis of Nancy-George Michalson, Therapy Animal Program Coordinator for Pet Partners, NYC...Her email address:[email protected]
|
My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair |
|
Saturday, October 13, 2012, 11:00am – 3:00 pm (weather permitting; no rain date.)
Mark your calendars, and don’t forget to bring Sparky (on leash, please)! Central Park Paws, a program of the Central Park Conservancy, invites dogs and owners of all ages to celebrate Central Park’s vibrant dog community and promote responsible stewardship of the Park at our 10th Annual My Dog Loves Central Park Country Fair. This free event features: …BEST IN PARK DOG EVENTS …CANINE GOOD CITIZEN TESTING…MICROCHIPPING…CHILDREN’S CORNER …TIPS FROM TOP TRAINER…GAMES AND CONTESTS, GIVEAWAYS, CELEBRITY JUDGES, AND MORE!
|
.........................................
Last month I posted excerpts from an article by Dennis Merrit Jones dealing with dogs and Zen...This month, on the left, you will find Mac Doodle Jones, the
inspiration for Dennis' dog-Zen connection...
"The philosophy of Zen comes to mind when I witness dogs "being" themselves. My understanding of Zen (in part) is that it is the practice of "be-ing" 100 percent present and one with what is in the field of my awareness, or whatever I am doing. Given that meaning, it's safe to say I have a new Zen master in my life. His name is Mac Doodle, aka, "Master Mac." He is an 18 month old, half Goldendoodle and half Labradoodle. I receive new teachings from him daily. "
For more of his thoughts and insights, visit Dennis at: Dennis
........................................
Bookstores and Librarians --
We'll be there...Barking Planet Productions, as members of the Independent Publishers of New England -- IPNE -- will be exhibiting the Planet Of The Dogs series of books for children, moms, dads, grandparents and dog lovers at the and the New England Independent Booksellers Association (Area C-3) and the New England Library Association (Booth 317)
NEIBA, October 3-4, Providence, RI
.....................................
What should you do, what can you do, if you see a dog in distress?
For answers, examples, true stories and more, visit Sunbear Squad...Let the experience of compassionate dog lovers guide you...free Wallet Cards & Pocket Posters Informative and practical...Visit SunBear Squad
.....................................
" Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea." - Robert A. Heinlein
..........................................................................................................................................
Recent Comments