Sandy is a wonderful family dog. We follow along on her busy day going for walks, taking naps, and even coming across some pesky raccoons. This book is more about just being happy, sad, or angry. Stevens explores the emotions of envious, jolly, worried and even, zonked. Each emotion is clearly shown through the expertly done illustrations and then explained in words through both a definition and Sandy's behaviors. Even though this book is mainly about Sandy, the dog, you will see emotions from other animals including Willow, the cat. Children will find the story funny, silly, and enjoyable and one they will want to read again and again. Parents can use this book to help their child name and express their feelings.

Stevens' book is an absolute delight and one I will be keeping in my stash to share with my nieces and nephews and well as my friend's children when they come to play. Stevens has also written a lesson plan for teachers to go along with this book including coloring pages and activities for use with a feelings unit in school. This book will definitely be going along on subbing dates in the lower elementary classes for use when I need a time-filler.

All the proceeds from the sale of this book support ARF! (Animals + Reading = Fun), a nonprofit organization started by Karen Lee Stevens. She launched ARF! in 2013 to have dog therapy teams visit children in grades K-6 at several Title I schools and libraries throughout Santa Barbara, California. The kids are allowed to read to the dogs and has been a huge hit with the children....and the dogs too! ( )

Sandy the Labrador Retriever has many feelings and she wants you to know all about them. Sandy the dog has feelings like you and me. Sandy can feel affectionate, frightened, lonely and overjoyed, emotions that we feel everyday. As Sandy goes through an alphabet of emotions, she explains how she expresses each of these emotions as a dog and what each of these emotions means to her. Sandy not only helps kids explore a variety of emotions, but helps them to see that animals experience these same emotions, but may show them in different ways. With compassion and respect, Sandy the Labrador will help guide children through a range of emotions. ( )