Anna & Natalie by Barbara H. Cole and Ronald Himler, ill.  NY:  Star Bright Books, Inc., 2007.

     ISBN 978-1-59572-105-1

Anna and her seeing-eye dog, Natalie, are chosen by Anna's teacher to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  Author's note gives information about dogs and their incredible service in times of war.

Illustrations:  Pencil and watercolor

Themes:  Service dogs, blindness, War Memorials

Curricular Connection:  This book is a good addition to a unit on Memorial Day.

Themes:  This book has a few themes.  It is a good companion book for study on War heroes, and service animals, in general.  Also, in the story, Anna is blind, but the reader is not aware of this until the end of the story.  There are several mentions to things that Anna is not able to participate in because of her blindness.  Therefore, it can also be used to start a conversation on disabilities.

4Q/4P

ggolden

7/17/09