written by Robert J McCarty for their children and grandchildrenillustrated by Stella Mustanoja McCarty
From the back cover: Out in space, on the other side of the sun is the Planet Of The Dogs. This is the story of the first time dogs came to planet earth to teach people about love and to save the farmers of Green Valley from the invasion of the Stone City warriors.
Reading this story reminded me of home. I remember life was busy as missionaries in the north of Canada, but during the summer months things slowed down a little and we would leave the north for the prairies and go camping along the way - between visits and stays with family and friends. Those nights in the campgrounds I remember my dad telling a story that he was making up. The Planet of the Dogs story is familiar - not the story itself but the tone. I liked reading this book.
The description in the book is simple - the terms used and the sentence format. The chapters are easy to read and short. I'm not entirely sure of the target audience but other reviews I read were from 8-12 year old children who really enjoyed the book as well. I would suggest this book for that age group; simple to read with a great story. It is also at this age that the love of something becomes big in the life of a child - love of horses, or dogs or other such animals. This book is great for the dog lovers in your family!
There are two other books in this series although the books in the series do not build on each other and can be read independently of the others. Planet of the Dogs is the first book. The others will also be reviewed here at Sensational Divas Reviews and you can find all three books available for purchase at the website - Planet of the Dogs. This dog-loving husband and wife team also have another site - Barking Planet Children's Books - you might be interested in. They do a lot of great work in their community. Go on over and check them out.
1 November 19th, 2008 at 4:08 am
Dear LaDonna,
Thank you for such a warm, personal and insightful review of Planet Of The Dogs.
By the way, we have heard from mothers that children as young as four like having the book read to them.
Best wishes,
Robert McCarty
2 April 18th, 2011 at 5:20 am
I really must say it’s quite a novelty to check out a somewhat unique blog such as this one, great work. I look forward to coming back again soon and I look forward to reading your next post when I do.