Featured Book: Dex: The Heart of a Hero

Have you ever had a conversation with kids about who their favorite super heroes are, and what their superhero's special powers are? Well Dex isn't just any superhero - he wasn't born with special powers. He was an adorable little weiner dog who the author, Caralyn Buehner, describes as looking "like a plump sausage sitting on four little meatballs." Don't you already just love this book? Dex was a dog who didn't exactly stand out in a crowd. He was slow in games and rarely got noticed by his friends, unless they were making fun of him. But Dex had a dream, and not just any dream. He dreamed he would become a real, live superhero! One day, he decided he wasn't going to just dream about it - he was actually going to become one. So he took action - he began researching comic books and watching super hero movies. He started training harder and harder, and was thrilled when his little sausage body began to actually develop muscles.

Then the day came when his very own custom super-hero costume arrived on his doorstep. Dex, with the heart of a hero, began helping other little dogs who needed a hand. His friends continued to make fun of him, but he didn't care. He knew that what he was doing was important and good and kind and right, and his heart had never felt so full. Finally, the day came when one of his friends (who had teased him all along), needed his help. And Dex, because he truly was a hero, bravely saves his friend in danger. In the end, Dex becomes a model for his friend who decides that maybe he might like to become a super hero, too.

This book will inspire children to consider what their own super hero gift might be to the world, and to imagine, if their own pet had a special super hero power, what that power might be. This story teaches children that their dreams can become a reality, no matter how big or impossible they might seem, if they only believe in themselves and gather the courage to take action in small steps every day towards their dreams.

To order your own copy of Dex, The Heart of a Hero on Amazon, just click here.

To learn more about Caralyn Buehner's great work (and Mark Buehner's wonderful illustrations), please visit their website by clicking here.