Guide Dogs for the Blind by Alice Boynton
Published by Red Chair Press - (Look! Books) on August 1st 2018
ISBN: 1634403150
Goodreads

This non-fiction picture book for readers in grades 2-4 provides clear photographs and explanations of the process involved with training a guide dog.  This book is part of a larger series called “Animals That Help Us.”  The first section explains what the job of a guide dog is and then it follows various dogs as they progress through their training and finish with their day to day job.  The layout consists of two page spreads that contain a bright red heading, very adorable dog photos, three to four sentences in large fonts and plenty of white space. A few text bubbles are included on the pictures that label equipment like the harness or list the standard commands that the dogs respond to with the words that their owner would say.  The last page reminds readers to ask owners first before petting or playing with a service dog in harness.  A table of contents is provided in the front and the back matter includes a four word glossary, two book suggestions and two web sites to explore with an adult’s assistance and an index.   The first book suggested was an easy reader published in 1996 and the second book, although published in 2014, may be difficult to find in libraries, no libraries in the State of Maine catalog  had the book available.  There was not a bibliography, nevertheless, this would still be a useful title to provide to public libraries and school classrooms.

Reviewed by Sheila Dube, Springvale Public Library