MADELINE FINN AND THE THERAPY DOG

A little girl trains her young dog to be a therapy dog for residents of a retirement community.

Madeline Finn is a resourceful child who starred in two previous stories about therapy dogs. In the first story Madeline was helped in learning to read by a huge, white therapy dog named Bonnie, and in the second installment Madeline adopted one of Bonnie’s puppies, Star. Now Star is old enough to be trained by Madeline as a therapy dog with the help of Bonnie and her owner. Madeline practices with Star, and the pair then successfully complete a series of three tests at the retirement home. At each visit Madeline and Star reach out to an older man in a wheelchair, Mr. Humphrey, who at first will not speak or interact. The cheerful little girl and appealing dog keep trying to connect with Mr. Humphrey, and Madeline finally reaches him by reading aloud with Bonnie and Star at her side. The first-person present-tense story includes lots of dialogue and expressions of encouragement for both Madeline and Star. Charming, soft-focus illustrations provide extra details and capture the personalities of the determined child and irresistible dogs. Madeline presents white, Mr. Humphrey, black, and some of the other residents of the retirement home are also people of color. This touching story stands on its own, but fans of Madeline’s previous outings will particularly enjoy reading this account that ties all the previous tales together.

A gentle, heartwarming introduction to the world of therapy dogs.