Lovely. The theme has been done before, but not that I've seen on a level that's accessible to the youngest independent readers and also likely to be enjoyed by all, even older readers. It's also very clean, with a happy ending: Philip's family's problem is never defined. And of course it's beautifully written.

Not just for animal lovers, or for those who like biblotherapeutic books - it's also got gentle humor and adventure. And interesting characters. Lena, the rescued parrot, is a hoot, and we can deduce that her former owner was, too. And Alice, the sister of the narrator, is a writer, with insights of her own.

"Alice always tells the truth," said Mama, filling Lena's water dish with clean water. "Even if it is fiction."

Short... a family could easily make time to read it aloud together, or a child could read it in a weekend (or an avid reader could get through it in a half hour. ;) ( )

Cute story of a family who does animal rescue and the new neighbors who move in next door. Not much depth for an adult read, but should be fine for the _target audience of younger children. ( )

A loving family of mother, father and two sisters, rescue and place Geat Pyrenees dogs. Brushed often, still there is always white fur adhering to almost every surface. There is a constant place of dogs rescued and brought into this home to be placed in another. It takes a lot of love and patience to get attached to a dog only to find a home for him/her. But, there is one dog that remains with them and this dog will perform a wonderful task when a little boy is dropped off at the neighbors house.

The family learns that he refuses to talk, and is very attached to their family dog. The two sisters grow to love the little boy, and the mother welcomes the little boy's aunt with whom he lives.

A nice story with a bit of drama, lots of love and the mission to help a little boy relearn to talk. ( )

Enjoyed this one. Some suspense thrown in that made it fun. ( )

A simple short book told from the POV of our protagonist Zoe who helps her mother rescue Great Pyrenees dogs. This book has many things, a child who won't speak because his parents aren't getting along, new dogs, old dogs, people who never knew outside what they've lived, a talking parrot, and lots of white fur.

My nitpicks were small, minuscule, though as an adult Phillip comes off as abused and I get an uneasy feeling towards him sent home with his potentially abusive parents. ( )