| Service dogs -- Juvenile fiction. |
| People with disabilities -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Human-animal relationships -- Juvenile fiction. |
| Picture books. |
Available:*
Audience | Shelf Location | Material Type | Shelf Number | Current Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kids/Juvenile | Picture books | Book | E KENSKY | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A 2019 Schneider Family Book Award Winner
Based on a real-life partnership, the heartening story of the love and teamwork between a girl and her service dog will illuminate and inspire.
Rescue thought he'd grow up to be a Seeing Eye dog -- it's the family business, after all. When he gets the news that he's better suited to being a service dog, he's worried that he's not up to the task. Then he meets Jessica, a girl whose life is turning out differently than the way she'd imagined it, too. Now Jessica needs Rescue by her side to help her accomplish everyday tasks. And it turns out that Rescue can help Jessica see after all: a way forward, together, one step at a time. An endnote from the authors tells more about the training and extraordinary abilities of service dogs, particularly their real-life best friend and black lab, Rescue.
Author Notes
Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes are a married couple who were both injured during the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013. Jessica's service dog, Rescue, joined their family in 2014. Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes live in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Scott Magoon has been designing, writing, and illustrating books for young readers since 2003. He lives in Reading, Massachusetts.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-The author's true story of her friendship with her service dog. Rescue, a young pup is training to become a service dog, learning to fetch things, to open doors, and even to turn on lights. Jessica is recovering from an injury to both of her legs and is getting acclimated to using prosthetics and walking again. Each is worried about their skills and their futures, but when they are eventually paired, it is an instant connection and realization that they can do so much together. The power of their relationship is made quite clear throughout the book. Kensky, and her coauthor and husband Downes, were both injured in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and have chosen to leave that particular detail out of the primary narrative. Instead, they focus on the work that Rescue does to aid Jessica every day and the intensity of their relationship. Magoon's digital illustrations are a lovely accompaniment to the text, providing rich detail to the spare story, and the scenes of Jessica and Rescue playing and working with the Boston skyline as a backdrop only add to the poignancy. -VERDICT This is a strong selection for any collection, and stories about working dogs never get old; this will be appreciated and enjoyed by a wide variety of young people.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
These married authors, who each lost legs in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings and have a service dog named Rescue, affectingly weave fact and fiction in their debut book. Jessica, a fictional child, is a hospital patient recovering from an unspecified injury; ¿both of her legs were badly hurt,¿ and her left leg was amputated. While she learns to walk with a prosthetic leg (though she¿s ¿frustrated and sad about the things she still couldn¿t do¿), a frisky black Lab is being trained as a service dog nearby. Jessica¿s spirits improve measurably once she adopts Rescue, and, after her right leg is removed in a second surgery, the intuitive, intelligent dog helps Jessica adjust to her new life, emotionally and physically. Kensky and Downes streamline their character¿s medical ordeal and her process of learning to walk again, highlighting the moments of quiet victory as well as those of despair. Magoon¿s (I Have a Balloon) realistic digital illustrations poignantly capture these experiences, offering images of the girl and dog that emphasize the fact that theirs is a mutual rescue. The artist, who like the authors is a Boston resident, provides affectionate, sunlit glimpses of that city¿including one featuring a mother duck swimming with her ducklings. Ages 5¿9. Authors¿ agent: Clelia Gore, Martin Literary Management. (Apr.)
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This riveting story about the relationship between a disabled girl and her black lab service dog is based loosely on Kensky's own experiences as a double amputee. The author's note mentions how she and husband Downes were injured in the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, but readers don't need to know this to be caught up in the story. The book follows two struggles: that of Rescue, a lab in training as a service dog, and of Jessica, a girl hospitalized by an injury, who must learn to cope with prosthetics, a wheelchair, and a whole new world of challenges. Both are worried about their futures in the world Rescue about performing his service duties, and Jessica over relearning everyday activities. The digital illustrations wonderfully underscore Jessica's journey from darkness (the overview of her hospital bed shows her family surrounded by blackness, for example) to light the pages are filled with gold, green, and movement once Jessica and Rescue start working together. Throughout, the reader is treated to fascinating details on the many tasks service dogs can accomplish and, more important, how Jessica and Rescue saved each other. An inspiring tale of compassion and perseverance.--Fletcher, Connie Copyright 2018 Booklist