Hazel Mitchell

Imani is very small, even for a child. The other children in her village are not nice to her at all. In facts they tease her every time they see her, calling her names and telling her that whatever she even thinks about doing..she won't be able to because she is so small in size. But what she lacks in physical size, she makes up in perseverance. Imani wants to be the first to touch the moon. She is laughed at, ridicule, and told to give up. Imani pressed on. She believed that she could touch the moon, jumping to sky like the young warriors in her village. Imani jumped, and jumped, and jumped, and eventually jumped so high that she reached the moon. Olapa, the moon goddess, met Imani and gave her a moon rock. When Imani went back home, she was really eager to tell her mother her story...and give her the evidence of her trip to the moon....the glowing and so beautiful moon rock.… (mehr)

When he moves to a new house with his father, a young boy asks and is given permission to get a dog. After visiting the local shelter, he selects Toby, a cute but rather shy young canine. Although eager to play with and train his new companion, the boy discovers that Toby is sometimes frightened and withdrawn, and doesn't immediately learn to obey commands to sit or fetch. When Toby gets into a little trouble - making a mess inside the house, destroying a bed of flowers - the boy's father suggests that perhaps Toby isn't the right dog for them. Can Toby and the boy prove him wrong...?

A sweet tale is paired with delightfully charming illustrations in Toby, artist Hazel Mitchell's debut as an author/illustrator. Based upon the experiences of her own rescue poodle, Mitchell's story highlights an important message about giving shelter animals time to adjust to their new lives, and having patience with them when they at first seem uncooperative. I enjoyed the tale, and found the artwork, done in pencil and watercolor, immensely appealing. Mitchell captures both her human and canine characters' various emotional states beautifully, making the happy ending especially satisfying. Recommended to young dog-lovers, and to anyone looking for children's stories that address getting a companion animal from a shelter.… (mehr)