My Two Dogs - Their Two Stories

Book One
A mixture of fact and fiction about the author's dog, Belle. Belle is happy at first. She has many adventures and mishaps. Eventually, her family becomes too busy for her, so she learns to play by herself. This makes her incredibly sad.


One day she ventures out through an open gate, running towards a group of playing children. One of the children, the curly-haired boy, removes Belle's ID tags and takes her home. Now, if only he had a new bicycle, his life would be perfect.


The boy sees "Lost Dog" posters offering $500 for Belle's return. With that money, he can buy a bicycle. The boy is torn between having a dog and having a new bike. However, his birthday is coming up soon, so he will get a bicycle then.


To his great disappointment, the curly-haired boy does not get a bike for his birthday because of the expense of keeping Belle.


Although Belle is treated well by the boy and his parents, she misses her family. This causes her to whine at all hours, to the annoyance of the boy's parents. The boy's mom says the dog must go.


Does the boy come clean? Does he get the reward? Does he get a new bicycle? The curly-haired boy and Belle's family all have lessons to learn.


Written in a style similar to the childhood classics "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz", one reviewer wrote "Written in a very simple and inviting language, this short story has an easy-to-follow narrative style and is definitely ideal for young school students. The detailed watercolor illustrations add to the overall experience of the lovely story. Wonderful read recommended for all children."


BookTwo
A mixture of fact and fiction about the adventures of the author's dog.
Chapter 1 (Meet Grady) introduces Grady and his family. He has a mom, a dad, and twin sisters. Although Grady has a pretty good life, he constantly yearns for his family's food. Unfortunately, he doesn't get any.


Chapter 2 (Watch Your Food) describes the times Grady tries to steal his family's food. Sometimes he is successful. Sometimes he is not.


In chapter 3 (Changes), Grady's biggest hope seems to come true when he wakes up one day and finds out he has become a boy. However, Grady soon finds out that there is a lot more to being a boy than eating people's food.


Chapter 4 (Always in Trouble) describes Grady getting into trouble again and again. This is because he continues behaving as he did when he was a dog. Somehow that does not work out for him when he is a boy. This is my favorite chapter.


In chapter 5 (Be Careful What You Wish) Grady is horrified when his family gets another dog. This new dog has a pretty good life. Grady continues to eat whatever and whenever he wants. Eventually, he gets so big he explodes. The explosion wakes Grady up and he discovers his adventures as a boy were all a dream. He is very happy to be himself again.


Grady - The Dog Who Wanted to be Human is a great read for a bedtime story for preschoolers and early elementary school-aged children. As they get further along in elementary school, the children will be able to read the story to themselves, enjoying it over and over again.

I believe that the children will be excited to know that the story is based on a real dog named Grady. All of the attempts to steal food happened with other dogs I have had over the course of my lifetime. The underlying theme of the story is a variation on the old adage "the grass is always greener on the other side".


Included in the book is very important information for dog owners. It lists foods that can make a dog sick or worse. This would make the book great for children whose family will soon be adopting or has recently adopted a dog.
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