How I Got My Dogsled

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

On a freezing winter day, a young girl and her mother hear from their
neighbor that a stray dog has had puppies in his doghouse. They decide
to see if they can identify the animal. Once seen, the dog captures
their hearts—she is starving and in need of much care. They take her
and the puppies to their own house and, with kindness and time, win the
trust of the mother dog. As well as the mother dog, the narrator and her
cousin are allowed to keep one puppy each. They find a dogsled in the
dump, refurbish it, and train the dogs to pull it. The girls appreciate
the efforts of the animals and show their appreciation with lots of hugs
and gentle words along with a drink and a meaty bone after every ride.

This gentle story, told in a straight narrative style, illustrates
reciprocal love between humans and animals. The stray and her puppies
are taken in and cared for, and in return they provide a service to
their owners. The girls show their appreciation with physical
demonstrations of affection and special treats. A subtheme involves
recycling—the reclaimed and repaired dogsled, which provides so much
enjoyment, gains value in the girls’ eyes because they worked on it
themselves.

Cindy Crew’s illustrations nicely complement this story of mutual
friendship. Highly recommended.