Vera is a best-kept secret on a United States Coast Guard base. Vera, a little puppy found by a serviceman, is hidden from the commander who would say there is no place on a base for a puppy. This book is Patricia Polacco sharing an endearing story in her fascinating manner. The story is personal to her in more ways than one—read the note at the beginning and another at the end to see why this story means so much to her. But between those author notes is the incredible story of a little dog who became a rescue-hero—more than once. Readers will get to know the puppy, the culture of the Coast Guard, and the rescue-hero stories. Of course, the illustrations, created by Polacco, lend much to the story. It is a fun story to read aloud, to reread, to read with a buddy. It is a great book for teaching students to notice prosody clues. Note: There is one page with the words, “By golly.” It is a book to learn about courage and what makes a hero, even when that hero is a dog. It is a book for exploring how to honor a hero. It is a book about not giving up a search (the author note at the end) and being rewarded for searching in new ways and in new places.
Patricia Polacco is a dearly-loved author/illustrator. Students in 3rd-6th grades probably appreciate her most, but this story will be a hit with any grade level. Polacco belongs to a family of storytellers and most of her stories center around her personal experiences with living in a family of artists, teachers, farmers, and storytellers. She lives in MI and at the time of this writing shares her farm with three cats, goats, lambs, and many human visitors. Polacco is the author/illustrator who did not learn to read until in her teens and went on to earn a doctorate in art history. She likes to sit and rock as she contemplates the next stories to tell and how to tell those stories. Rocking is a part of her writing process. It is recommended that students get to know Polacco by visiting her website: PatriciaPolacco.com. I highly recommend going to the public library and bringing bushels of Polacco’s books back to the classroom. Be careful, though. Some of her books are based on fantasy and may not be appropriate for an SDA classroom. Read the end pages to determine if the books are appropriate.
Pathways Themes: Yesterday, Heroes
Reviewed by Krystal Bishop, EdD
Professor of Education
Southern Adventist University
