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"The Right Dog for the Job: Ira's Path from Service Dog to Guide Dog,"
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent, photographs by William Munoz, Walker Publishing
Company, 2004, 28 pages Did you know there is a difference between a
service dog and a guide dog? Did you know the dog receives special training
for these jobs? Have you ever wondered what the life of a trained dog is
like? Then Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's book "The Right Dog for the Job" would
be an interesting book for you to read.
This book follows the life of Ira from puppy to adult dog. In the book we
see that Ira was born on Shy Bear Mountain Farm in Montana, a farm where
special dogs are bred to become service dogs. We can read about
PawsAbilities, Canine Partners for People with Disabilities and how, through
foster puppy raisers, dogs receive their early care and training.
In Ira's early training he visited a sixth-grade schoolroom twice a week
with his foster raiser, a schoolteacher, and her students helped teach him
skills. Ira learned to come when called, to lie quietly on a rug without
being distracted by what was happening around him, to walk close to the
person he was guiding, to turn on a light switch and other jobs necessary to
become a good service dog.
We can read about the advanced training Ira must go through to become a
guide dog for the blind. As Ira grows and learns, we meet the people who
shape him to assist others, as well as the man he is paired with to be a
Seeing Eye dog.
The photographs by William Munoz are quite interesting and show Ira
learning the tasks he will need to perform as a service dog. Although the
book does not go into detail about the training or discuss the events that
could happen to disqualify a dog as a service dog, the story is a nice
introduction for readers to learn about these special animals and the
dedicated people who raise them.
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"Twice As Nice: What It's Like To Be a Twin," by Nicole
Rubel, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004, 31 pages
Nicole Rubel knows what being a twin is really like because she
is one! So when she talks about the advantages and disadvantages of
being a twin, she speaks from experience. Her book "Twice as Nice"
is full of good advice to twins, and parents and teachers of twins.
She includes short articles about famous twins, from biblical to
modern ones. A brief explanation of how twin births occur, the
difference between identical and fraternal twins, and multiple
births are discussed.
The book is a quick read but full of interesting facts about
twins. For anyone who has no experience being around twins or for
someone who may be experiencing a relationship with twins for the
first time, this book might be a great aid in understanding this
sometimes difficult but interesting relationship.
To check out these two books or other books on interesting
subjects, come by the Lincoln Public Library, 725 Pekin St., and let
the staff guide you in finding books about subjects that interest
you!
[Louella Moreland, youth services librarian,
Lincoln Public
Library District]
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