JJ The American Street Dog and How He Came to Live in Our House

by Diane Rose-Solomon, Rachel Cellinese (Illustrator)

Maya has wanted a dog for as long as she can remember. Just when her parents decide to buy her one, her Uncle Jerry finds a homeless puppy that he can’t keep. Although Mom is skeptical about keeping a dog from the street, she agrees to take in the pup and they name him JJ. Before long, JJ warms his way into their hearts, and Maya and her family learn about homeless animals and how they can be a part of the solution to end pet overpopulation.

Through Maya’s eyes, the reader learns of alternatives to buying dogs from a breeder, or worse, from a pet store that gets dogs from puppy mills. The book addresses many aspects of the problem including stray animals, animals at shelters and rescues, what to do when you find an animal, and basic animal care. “JJ The American Street Dog” is appealing to children five to nine years old with its colorful illustrations and six-year-old heroine. The story is exciting and uplifting, and teaches that adopting a rescue animal is a win-win. JJ gets a loving home, and Maya gets a dog that she always wanted.

Genres: Childrens, Dogs, Picture Books

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 15, 2012

About the author

After rescuing a puppy 21 years ago, Diane Rose-Solomon became increasingly involved in animal rescue and education and served for years on the board of directors of a small grass roots animal rescue and aid organization. In 2009 to give back more to the animal community, she became a Certified Humane Education Specialist through Humane Society University. She then combined her humane and creative interests and published her first two books, award winning JJ the American Street Dog, and How He Came to Live in Our House and the sequel JJ Goes to Puppy Class.”

What to Expect When Adopting a Dog, her latest book, is a guide to successful dog adoption for every family. The book answers questions like whether dog adoption is right for you, how to adopt a dog from a shelter or rescue group, how to prepare your home for a new member, integrating the dog into your home, family, lifestyle, and more. In five modules, Diane leads the reader through the steps they should take to decide on a dog, then through the adoption process, as well as life¬long care. And, with the shorter lives of animals, she delivers a heart¬felt chapter on saying goodbye to a pet.

Diane enjoys reading the JJ books to children in schools, libraries and at adoption events. Her goal is to educate children and adults about how compassion extends to all beings, human and animal. To this end, she founded Team Kindness, a program where children, families and teachers can learn about and engage in kind, and humane educational activities.

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, two children and two rescued dogs.

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of animal rescue will love this darling picture book! It's for slightly advanced readers but parents will love it too. The author's note at the end has great info about rescue, and I love that a percentage of the proceeds supports animal rescue groups. Wonderful illustrations, too!

[Sher A. Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book with a good idea of how I would feel about the message. What’s not to love about a book promoting adoption of homeless animals? I was a little worried about the delivery until I loaned the book to a family with young children to see how a twelve-year-old and four-year-old liked it. They both loved it. Knowing children are the target audience, I felt better.

Next hurdle, how would JJ do with adults? After all, no matter how much kids might beg for a pet, parents usually make the decision. I’m happy to say I liked the book as well. For me, the art wasn’t as important as it would be for children, but it complemented the story well. I liked the pastels, the facial expressions conveying emotion, and the simplified backgrounds. But I liked the text even more. It didn’t gloss over the realities of pets: some owners neglect and/or abandon them. The book encourages trying to find owners of strays, a crucial step before adoption. Since my 14-year-old cat got lost for almost two months last winter when we moved, I’ll be forever grateful to the woman who contacted me because she saw my flyer before she found my cat, near death. The vet bill was substantial but worth every penny, so I was happy to see this book covers health problems and neutering along with the more frequent pet care expenses like feeding and making sure the pet has someone to watch over it when the owners aren’t home. At the end, I liked the explanation of inspiration for JJ. It’s also nice that part of the proceeds go to animal rescue organizations.

So I’m back to the beginning. What’s not to love? 5 stars. If children like pets, they should read this book to understand why so many need help and how to give that help. If they don’t like pets, they need to read this book to learn compassion. Good reason to add JJ to your gift list this holiday season. It’s hard to pinpoint the youngest age group to understand the message, but even toddlers should enjoy most of the story. Tweens and teens might prefer reading to younger children so as not to be embarrassed about reading a picture book. All in all, JJ is a great family present, especially for those considering getting a pet. I was provided a free copy in exchange for an honest review.