Book Review: Haatchi & Little B: The Inspiring True Story of One Boy and His Dog / Wendy Holden

I don't think that it will surprise anyone that I love dogs. Actually, I love many animals and observing the natural world. I also have a soft spot in my heart for people who struggle (and who among us doesn't struggle with something.) So when I entered into a Reading Challenge with Ms Currie's Beyond the Books book club, I knew that I wanted to add a book about dogs to my reading list. (We each selected 4 genres or topics to explore over the summer with an additional bonus book for those so inclined.) This seemed to be the perfect book.

Haatchi, a Anatolian Shepherd was left for dead on some railroad tracks when a train ran over him. The conductor saw something on the tracks and reached out for help resulting in Haatchi being rescued. Many people were involved in Haatchi's rescue.

Owen Hawkins was a little boy with Schwartz-Jampel syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes the muscles to contract. Due to this syndrome, Owen was constantly in pain and felt that everyone was always looking at him because he was different. (As of this writing he is 16 years old - Google him.)

A series of circumstances, along with the good will and help of many people, brought Owen and Haatchi together and they have become the best of friends. How they healed each other is this story.

In the documentary A Boy and His Dog you can meet both Haatchi and Owen. But this book fills in all of the details. 

You can find this book on the South library shelves. 

 

Book Review: Saving Simon by Jon Katz

 

It is vacation. Not only that, it is vacation during a pandemic. I need an book about animals. I am not sure how I started reading a book about an animal each vacation, but it is a habit I have fallen into. I love animals. I love my dogs.  I love feeding the birds on my bird feeders. I love watching the wildlife while I walk - I regularly see birds, woodchucks, rabbits, squirrels, chipmunks, and occasionally see deer, fox and coyotes around my home. Animals sooth me and so do books about animals. Not only do I feel better after reading about an animal, but I always learn something in the process. 

This book, Saving Simon, is about Jon Katz adopting a donkey. Poor Simon was near death when adopted by Katz then nursed back to life. The thing about living with animals is that they teach us lessons that we wouldn't expect. Simon taught Katz about mercy and compassion and this is that story.

Compassion is a funny thing. Why do we have more compassion for animals than we have for humans? Is compassion a gift? Do all people deserve compassion or is it earned? There is so much to mull over in this book. 

The sound track to this book should be a stack of Willie Nelson tunes. You can learn more about Katz and his animals at his website, The Bedlam Farm Journal