Saint Bernards

Children's Literature

The calm, sweet Saint Bernard on the colorful cover will surely draw early readers to this entertaining and interesting book. Beginning with the "Table of Contents" page with its large, green bone and light green paw prints, the clear, colorful graphics are outstanding. The large type, short sentences, and crisp photographs help even below-level readers breeze through various chapters, including "To the Rescue!" "From Puppy to Adult," and "Saint Bernard Care." The Saint Bernard's history as a snow-loving rescue dog is described with a wonderful, funny photograph depicting the breed's large feet that help them walk in the snow. The breed's size as well as its need to sniff and dig is covered. The chapter about "Saint Bernard Care" discusses the breed's waterproof fur and goes on to show a dog receiving a rare bath. Children will have many questions about waterproofing and oily coats that are addressed in the book's "Glossary." The "Read More" and "Internet Sites" chapters, headed with large colorful bones, offer opportunities for further study and research about this large, gentle breed and may require assistance. The "Internet Sites" listing offers an invitation to visit www.facthound.com by typing in a special code for age-appropriate sites related to this particular book. This title is part of the "Pebble Dogs" set of breed-specific books. Parents, librarians and teachers will want to collect them all since each is well written, engaging, and captures the essence of its particular breed while supporting national science standards related to life science. 2006, Capstone Press, Ages 4 to 6.
—Debra Lampert-Rudman