Juliana O'Neill

What parent’s haven’t employed the age-old ploy of avoidance by sending a child requesting an iffy item to the other parent. “Ask your mom.” “Ask your dad.” This sweet beginning reader uses this tactic wonderfully. The story follows a young girl with one such desire after spying a sign inviting the adoption of a puppy.







Early readers will have no idea they are learning sight words through repetition and short sentences in a cute story with fun colorful, full page art. For reading in a class setting, there is a word list at the end of the book that can be used to track new words or for use in vocabulary lessons. In addition to sight words, this book would be an interesting way to introduce the idea of pet ownership to a young child.






I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Many youngsters (and maybe adults, too?) dream of having a dog. To many kids, it’s all about the OOHS and AWWES of the initial warm & cuddly part; or, it may be about the adorable small puppy stage; while, still, for other children, it’s because they’ve learned to love dogs through their own parents, siblings, or other grownups. But, SPLAT! when the dream becomes reality, most kids soon learn the meaning of the words, “pet-owner” and “pet care”, which can be valuable lessons to learn at a young age. In its 15 pages, IF I HAD A DOG, begins with a little girl’s daydreaming of a dog in her life, continues with what things she would do with her dog, and surprises the reader with a Tail-twisted, MEOW! ending.

Going beyond that book, also find online co-authors’, Elizabeth Os’s and Toni Salami’s, picture book version of, IF I HAD A DOG. It uses simple art and short sentences for its Teaching Responsibility Series, from Logix Learning in 2015. Similarly, O’Neill produced IF I HAD A DOG for the educational market–the Reading Stars Program–a vocabulary format for beginning readers, that incorporates 50 unique words, i.e., am, walk, dogs, etc. into the story. When SCOUTing online for its title, IF I HAD A DOG, a number of books by authors & illustrators will pop up faster than a dog’s “Sit!”-for-a-treat trick. Most versions illustrate learning how to take care of a dog, while another version depicts the ups and downs of owning a dog; and, also, what to look for when a dog grows old. Whatever path someone TROTS to discover his or her own story of, IF I HAD A DOG, hopefully, he or she will kindly remember and ponder the mirrored scenario: IF I (sniff, sniff!) HAD A HUMAN. (Mrs. Patricia Ann Timbrook, PatSays, Children’s Book Reviewer, June 19, 2019)… (mehr)

This book tells a story using 23 words paired with cute, colourful illustrations. This book is very simple and each page has one of the children saying thanks for something. This is a very simple book, but with Thanksgiving in Canada just being celebrated and in the US coming up in November, this is a timely book. The illustrations are simple, yet well done and can be used to help the reader decipher the text. There is a note for parents and caregivers at the front of the book to help them with using this book with their child. As part of the Reading Stars series, I Say Thanks is designed for beginning readers to promote confidence in reading skills. New readers will feel pride in their ability to read and understand this story. A great book for a family library or a primary classroom. The publisher, Xist Publishing, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.… (mehr)

This is a level 2 reader about Thanksgiving and the traditions that go with it. This book is based on the American Thanksgiving, but being Canadian, I still read this to my grandchildren, but just added the information that is different in Canada such as the dates. This is a great book to teach children the basics of Thanksgiving, from the history, decorations, family traditions and of course food. The book is filled with photos to go with the facts rather than illustrations. I loved the crafts shown and the yard decorations. Because this is a level 2 reader, this would be a great book for a beginning reader to read alone or aloud to their family. It would make a great addition to a school library or a class, especially in a unit on celebrations. The publisher, Xist Publishing, generously provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own.… (mehr)