Featured Book: Cool Dog, School Dog

Can you imagine the trouble that a playful puppy might get up to if she romped into an elementary school classroom? This is a delightful story with gorgeous, heart-warming illustrations and high-spirited, endearing text about a little dog named Tinka who really, really wants to come to school with her favorite boy. When she finally discovers a secret way to get to school, she unknowingly breaks all the rules and wreaks havoc in the halls and in his boy’s classroom, until the teacher finally orders Tinka to leave. But at the very last moment, Tinka’s secret talent is discovered – Tinka is a reading dog! As the children bring books to read to Tinka, this playful pup happily settles down on her special little bed to listen to great stories, and is then invited to come back to school every day to showcase her talent. Artistically crafted and beautifully presented, this book would make a wonderful addition to any home or school library. As an elementary school teacher for over ten years, I can relate first-hand to what it’s like to have a puppy in a classroom. When I first got my then-puppy Tango (who is now turning 13 in March!), my second grade students kept asking if I would bring her to the classroom to visit. After much consideration and even more careful planning, I decided that we could go ahead and arrange for this. I taught my students, before Tango even set foot in the classroom, how to meet a new dog properly, how to behave in kind, respectful, and appropriate ways around a small animal (who was much smaller than they were), and how to read a dog’s body language. They also needed to earn the letters to spell the words “Tango Time” by being kind and respectful to each other throughout the week, and when Tango finally arrived that Friday morning, each pair of children earned ten minutes of “Tango Time” in the reading corner. This was time they could just play quietly with her, talk to her, or cuddle with her. But you can imagine my surprise when my students began bringing books to read to her – and then arguing during recess over which books Tango liked most!

I didn’t know it then, but this experience marked the beginning of my thinking about How Dogs Help Kids Read and Succeed In the Classroom. This program has, in truth, been over twelve years in development, and this wonderful story, Cool Dog, School Dog floods my heart with warm memories of the very first time I brought my sweet Tango into my own classroom. Thankfully, Tango was invited (she didn’t have to find a way to sneak herself in, though I'm partially convinced that she would have done so had I not invited her) and the students were prepared - but I can only imagine the fun and chaos that might have ensued had she discovered her own way in the way adorable Tinka did!

Thank you, Deborah Heiligman, for this delicious and delightful poetry-as-story, and Tim Bowers, for your bubble-gum lovely illustrations that have danced into my heart. It's no surprise that this book made its way onto my "Featured Books List" for inclusion in this program, and it is my hope that it will soon be in thousands of classrooms across the country! To learn more about this great author and illustrator and about their many entertaining books, please visit their websites at: http://deborahheiligman.com and http://www.timbowers.com

You can also purchase Tinka's other books on Amazon - just click on the pics below!

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