About the Holiday

This month’s holiday was established by the PALS Foundation to promote safe practices of handling and caring for pets and other animals. There are many ways in which you can participate. If you have pets, make sure they’re up-to-date on all of their  health needs, ensure that they are microchipped and tagged in case they are ever lost, and spend time with your pet, which benefits their emotional and physical health. Wild backyard animals can also use your help. As cold weather approaches make plans to feed the birds and small animals that must rely on supplemented food during the winter. You can also visit a zoo, aquarium, or wildlife refuge and learn more about animal behavior and care. Volunteering at or donating to an animal shelter is another wonderful way to take care of animals in your local area.

Don’t Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs

 

By Wendy Wahman

 

There are “Dogs! Dogs! Everywhere!” Big dogs and little dogs, long-haired dogs and curly-haired dogs, purebreds and mutts. They’re bounding, leaping, wrestling, and bow-wow-wowing. Three kids come running into the park to meet all the dogs but before they do, a hand stops them. The children smile and ask if they can pet the woman’s six dogs. The woman appreciates that they are so polite and reveals that five of her dogs would love a pat, even the tiny Chihuahua sitting on her loooong, pointy shoe. But her sixth puppy, “Maddie might bite.”

The youngest tyke jumps forward, eager to meet the soft poodle, but the woman’s elegantly gloved hand cautions, “Easy now, take it slow / when meeting dogs / that you don’t know. / Don’t stick your nose in Stella’s face— / until you’re friends, / she needs her space.” The woman also explains that dogs like to meet new people with a sniff and a lick and advises the kids to stand still while the dogs check out their shoes and curl their fingers in while offering the back of their hands.

Small pups like Bootsy are scared when “noisy kids arrive.” But if you pretend to be shy as well, “she’ll come to you; / just give her time.” Even if you’re excited to see a dog, gentle strokes are what they like best, and they will gobble up treats served from a hand held as flat as a plate. Dogs show their love with a “lick, lick, lick!” But when you find “too much is ick, / it’s all right to say enough / to all that sloppy kissy stuff.”

Some dogs like to jump and hug, but if this dance is not for you, “cross your arms and turn your back / when Jake jumps up and barks like that.” Just like people at different times, some dogs want to be left alone. If you hear a growling, grrr-ing rumble, you should know that “this spells trouble.” If you “stand up straight, / stay very still,” and “let her walk away, / she will.”

Yes, dogs are fun and like to play, but they “aren’t toys to…poke or chase or tug or tease,” they each have their own personalities. So show that you have good dog manners, and you’ll make lots and lots of canine friends.

Ages 4 – 8

Henry Holt & Company, 2009 | ISBN 978-0805087338

A Cat Like That

By Wendy Wahman

 

A sweet back cat sits on a flowered patchwork hill dreaming of the perfect friend: one who doesn’t “yell in [her] ear and knows “all the right games, with all the best toys, like a paper bag and catnip mouse, Ping-Ping balls and a twirly bird.” That friend would know just how to stroke behind her ears, under her chin, and right at the base of her tail. But no tickling tummies—that’s for dogs. Another no-no is experimenting to see if cats really do land on their feet—because sometimes, the cat says, she doesn’t.

The sleek black kitty would “pick a friend who wouldn’t drag [her] around. I’m not a cat like that!” she thinks. A best friend would let her hide and not seek her out, and would let her “bask in the sun” for as long as she liked. A real pal would allow dining to be a solitary affair—well, just the cat and her prey. And her claws? She’d like to keep those to herself too. That friend would also give her privacy at her box and when bathing.

A real friend would recognize her moods—the little flicks of a tail when happy and the big swishes when not. How would someone know they had been picked as a bestie? They’d feel that sweet kitty winding around their legs and purring, and she’d send them “a kiss with [her] eyes by blinking slowly…” And if the cat got a kiss like this back, she’d know she had found a forever friend. If that cat “could pick a best friend in the whole wide world,” do you know who she would pick? Yes, that’s right! She’d pick you!

Every little one or older child reacts to dogs and cats in their own way. Some love to meet new animals while others are shy or even afraid of them. Wendy Wahman offers two excellent picture books that explain the rules that allow kids to form successful bonds when engaging with cats and dogs. In Don’t Lick the Dog, Wahman’s advice is shared in humorous rhyming verses that help readers remember the particular behaviors that dogs respond to.

Kids will love the park full of dogs with their distinct looks and personalities all drawn with Wahman’s singular sophistication and style. As the owner of the six dogs is revealed, readers will giggle at her long nose and pockets brimming with treats. Kids will also enjoy following miniscule Bootsy as she rides along on her owner’s shoe from page to page. Each behavior by dogs and children is shown clearly so that readers can fully see and understand how to approach any dog.

A Cat Like That turns the adoption process around and reveals the inner thoughts of a feline contemplating the friend she’d pick—all in keeping with a cat’s personality. Wahman’s smart, bold, and vibrant artwork creates eye-catching portraits of a cat’s day. Shown in purple light against a black background the lithe cat playfully pounces on a ball, explores the inside of a paper bag, and chews a catnip mouse. She snoozes under a vivid yellow bedspread and lounges in the golden rays of the sun. As the happy cat winds her tail around a new friend’s leg and purrs contentedly in their lap, kids will wish they had a cat like that.

Both Don’t Lick the Dog and A Cat Like That would be valuable additions to home and classroom libraries to teach children how to approach and engage with cats and dogs, whether they are their own pets, friends’ pets, or animals that are unfamiliar to them.

Ages 4 – 8

Henry Holt & Company Books for Young Readers, 2011 | ISBN 978-0805089424    

Discover more about Wendy Wahman, her books, and her art on her website.

Stop right there and watch this Don’t Lick the Dog book trailer!

You’ll love a A Cat Like That and a book trailer like this!

National Animal Safety and Protection Month Activity

Homemade Dog or Cat Toy

 

With just a little bit of fleece, you can make a toy that both dogs and cats will love to play with! You can make one for your friend’s pets too!

Supplies

• Fleece, 18 inches long or longer. You can use a single color or mix two or three colors or patterns.
• Scissors

 

Directions

For throwing, tug-of-war, and joint animal/child play

1. Cut three strips of fleece 1 to 2 inches wide and at least 18 inches long
2. Holding all three strips together, knot them at the top by making a loop and pulling the ends through
3. Braid the three strips together
4. Knot at the strips together at the bottom as you did the top.

For throwing or batting

1. Cut three strips of fleece ¾ to 1 inch wide and about 8 inches long
2. Holding all three strips together, knot them at the top by making a loop and pulling the ends through
3. Braid the three strips together
4. Knot at the strips together at the bottom as you did the top

Picture Book Review