By Juanita Liepelt
Illustrated by Frank Kasy
Cover Design by Michael Mulholland
$19.95
Available from: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and most retail bookstores.
A portion of all net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Autism Speaks, 2 Park Avenue, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10016. For information about Autism Speaks, please see their website at www.autismspeaks.org. Phone: (212) 252-8584, Fax: (212) 252-8676.
EAN: 978-0-9791317-0-7
ISBN: 0-9791317-0-7
First Printing: May, 2008
48 pages, Paperback, 37 Full color illustrations
8.5 x 11 x 0.125 in., 0.304 lbs.
Published by: RealityIsBooks
BISAC:
JNF003060 Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Dogs, JNF003170 Juvenile Nonfiction / Animals / Pets
Wholesale: Ingram Book Group
About Juanita Liepelt:
Juanita Liepelt grew up on the near southwest side of Chicago in what is now the Little Village neighborhood. She attended DePaul University for two years after high school, then returned to college part time in 1986. Juanita received a B.S. in Applied Psychology (1997) from Loyola University and an M.A. from Loyola University’s Institute for Pastoral Studies (2003). Juanita and her sister, Rose Kaszycki, have co-authored a book for caregivers, Nurturing Your Self While Caring for Another. This is Juanita’s first children’s book.
About the Book:
Although he is not small and cute like the other puppies in the pet shop, Blue takes a chance and gives a strong bark that attracts the attention of three year old Geno and his Mommy and Nana. Geno falls in love with the puppy at first sight, and Mommy and Nana are captivated by the puppy’s strong bark. Blue learns that his appearance is not as important as who he is, and that being different is not such a bad thing. Blue: The Luckiest Dog in the World tells how Blue grows up to be a happy, grateful, and responsible dog in spite of the ever-changing circumstances in his life.
From the Afterword:
Children will find this to be a heartwarming story about a puppy that no one takes home because he is not small and cute like the other puppies. When the puppy finds out that he has a gray beard and gray hairs on his face, he pretty much gives up hope of ever having a home because he does not even look like a puppy. Three year old Geno falls in love with the puppy at first sight, and the little boy’s Mommy and Nana are captivated by the puppy’s strong bark. The puppy learns that his appearance is not as important as who he is, and that being different is not such a bad thing. Later in the book, the puppy even learns to be proud of his appearance when he realizes his ancestral connection with his friend.
This book also shows that the transitions a family experiences, although possibly as frightening for a child as for the puppy, can have a happy ending if you make the best of the changes that happen. The puppy had no control over the changes in his life, just as a child has no control over the circumstances in his or her life. The puppy grew up to be a happy, grateful, and responsible dog in spite of the ever-changing circumstances in his life, and seeing this can help a child realize that life’s problems have a way of working themselves out, and sometimes changes can even make the situation better.