Wendy Orr's (Nim's Island) first entry in the Rainbow Street Shelter series proves there are many ways to love animals, whether or not you have a pet of your own.
Logan likes his life on the farm, but "[w]hat he liked best of all, more than anything else in the world, was Bear--because Bear was his dog." And Bear likes Logan best of all "because Logan was his boy." But when Logan's mom and dad split up, everything changes. Logan, his mom and Bear move to a new house in the city. Along the way, they stop for lunch, and Bear gets loose. Logan and his mom search everywhere, but Bear is gone.
Hannah lives in the city. What she wants, "more than absolutely anything else in the world," is a dog of her own. When her father comes home from work with a strange dog in the back of his pickup truck, she thinks her dream has come true. But Hannah's parents are not dog lovers, and they say the stray must go to the Rainbow Street Shelter. Logan searches for days and posts signs, hoping that someone has found Bear. Meanwhile, Hannah learns to care for all of the animals at the shelter. Even her mother volunteers there. (Who knows, she might just learn to love dogs!)
Simple vocabulary and plentiful illustrations make this an ideal format for children just graduating into chapter books. This is a charming story about wanting something so badly, you are willing to do what it takes to make your dream come true. --Lynn Becker, host of the monthly online discussion of children's books for SCBWI, Book Talk.