Animal Advocates Have Their Own Special Place at the Ross Elementary School Library

 Mr. Flanagan, Ross Elementary School's librarian, oversees an  interactive library.  The Stand Up Against Animal Cruelty area is not only stocked with fiction and non-fiction selections for animal lovers of all ages, but the yellow animal cruelty activity books, that Mr. Flanagan created, encourage students to speak up for those who can't.  Caring about animals is a Ross Elementary School core value.  Ms. Jaffe and Mr. Markus' fourth and fifth grade classes are participating in a year-long Washington Animal Rescue League program that, like the animal awareness section in the library, promotes responsibility and social action.  The Ross library, an inviting, cozy space with Mr. Flanagan, and his welcoming smile and festive bow-tie serving as host and guide, encourages students to enjoy all that the library has to offer.   WARL hopes to help  Ross continue to build its animal selection in the library.   If you would like to purchase a book (or two) contact me at debbie@warl.org or leave a book at the shelter for the Ross partnership.   Possible titles are Mr. Putter and Tabby Pour the Tea, The Tenth Good Thing About Barney or any of the others selections listed further down the page on the side bar.

Pit Bulls -- Heroes and Friends

Despite a bad rap in the media, pit bulls are typically loyal, loving, intelligent family dogs who are often known to take heroic action to protect those they love. Jasmine, a pit bull living in Alexandria, Virginia, recently saved her family from disaster. When a fire erupted in the dryer vent of the family's home in the middle of the night, Jasmine barked nonstop waking her family so they, and Jasmine, could escape unharmed.

The Washington Animal Rescue League adopts many wonderful pit bull dogs into loving, caring forever homes. Two staff members adopted pit bulls in recent month. One lives with a baby and other animals; the other lives with another dog and comes to work with her guardian every day. Trixie is another successful League pit bull adoption. Her new family, including two boys and another dog, reports that Trixie has lots of energy but knows how and when to chill, too. That's her in the picture above, snoozing with her buddy Jack.

For a wonderful fiction story highlighting the hard luck life of a pit bull named Cash, check out Dog Lost by Ingrid Lee discussed in the March 5th Post

An Interactive Book for Big Kids

Remember those fun books you had when you were a little kid? The ones where you pulled a cord or opened a door. Well, Scooter Strays by Howard Edelstein is an interactive book for elementary school readers.

Scooter gets out and is on his own. Thirsty, Scooter finds a puddle of antifreeze. What happens next? The reader decides. The reader controls the story by making a choice and turning to the corresponding page. You can read the book many times and essentially read a different story every time.

It's fun to read. Try writing your own interactive story!

All proceeds from the sale of Scooter Strays are donated to a local humane organization. The book can also be read on the Washington Humane Society's kids' page, www.whs-kids.org.

Holiday Reading

Here's what I'm reading during the winter break -- Listen! by Stephanie Tolan and The Leanin' Dog by K.A Nuzum. The story line in both novels focuses on girls who find stray dogs. So far, that's all I know. It is a universal story. Animals are abandoned, people want to take care of them. Several years ago Because of Winn Dixie was that girl finds dog book. It was, and rightly so, a huge success. Because of Winn Dixie is still one of my all-time favorite dog stories.


I can't, however, seem to find many books featuring abandoned cats. I wrote one nearly 20 years ago --William's Story. I have seen many abused, neglected and abandoned cats -- and their endings are typically not happy. I had trouble writing an ending for the book. I felt that I would not be telling the truth if I wrote a happy ending, where William finds a wonderful forever home. I also did not want to leave the reader sad and without hope by having something horrible happen to William. So, I left the ending up to the reader.


I am hoping that Listen! and The Leanin' Dog have happy endings. I'm also hoping that someone will recommend a good cat book or two so I can even out my holiday reading. Any suggestions?

Where are the Cats in Hollywood?

The movies have gone to the dogs this holiday season -- It started last month with the release of Bolt; Marley and Me, a movie based on a book, opens Christmas; and in mid-January Hotel for Dogs premiers nationwide. Hollywood hounds have always been wildly popular -- there's Benji, Beethoven, Turner and Hooch, Air Bud, 101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp, Old Yeller and lots more, including my favorite, Because of Winn Dixie (another movie created from a good book). And, if you go way back there's Lassie and Rin Tin Tin -- both dogs starred in many movies, books, comic books, and were immortalized on metal lunch boxes way back when.

Where are the cat flicks? Okay, Garfield had a couple of decent hits, but most cats have been relegated to supporting roles -- the cat in Stuart Little, what was his name? Are cats not featured in films because they refuse to take orders from demanding directors? Surely, their stories are every bit as good as dog stories.

Cat lovers, Tinseltown is calling. It is time for those of us who live with cats, love cats, and understand cats start writing. Then, maybe next holiday season, films will include --

• Lightening (a super hero cat who saves the planet)
• Merl and Me (based on my cat Merl, who is always in trouble)
• Resort for Cats (an upscale vacation hot spot where cats go to escape their boring, everyday lives.) See Bruce, Merl and Micky below rehearsing for starring roles