Always Be a Friend

by Lauren D Donnalley, Josef Cowan-Liner (Illustrator)

Overview

Always Be a Friend is a heartwarming children's picture book about a pet dog who tells the story of her life. Chessy is a yellow lab who sees the very best in her humans and is always there to be a friend. Chessy has many things she wants her human family to know about themselves.

 

Her lessons include the following themes:

• Kindness
• Bravery
• Creativity
• Authenticity
• Self-confidence

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798988593713
Publisher:	Lauren D. Donnalley
Publication date:	08/29/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	37
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

A life-long pet owner, Lauren D. Donnalley has loved lots of furry friends. Lauren is a North Carolina native who married her high school sweetheart. They adopted their first dog together from a local animal shelter and named her Chessy. Chessy was their first 'baby' who helped them welcome 3 beautiful human babies into the family. Caring for pets who love us so unconditionally has great power to teach us about how to love ourselves and others. Lauren hopes to inspire others to love, treat each other with kindness, and always be a friend.

Editorial Reviews

2023-11-08
Donnalley’s picture book highlights the story of a family, as told by their faithful dog.

Chessy’s story begins like those of many family pets: in a shelter. Although the bright yellow dog has a good home there (including “a friend and food to eat”), he’d like to live with a family. One day, a man and woman adopt Chessy, and the dog is eager to be with them at all times. When alone, Chessy chews on furniture and makes a mess, but the humans still love their pet and provide a warm, cozy home. As time passes, more family members are born: two boys and a girl. (The family is portrayed with pale skin.) Each child has a unique personality and interests, and Chessy loves seeing them grow up. At one point, the family gets a second dog. Along the way, Chessy imparts many special lessons, including the titular advice. Very young readers will enjoy seeing how each child grows up to be their own person. However, the simplicity of the tale may not engage older kids, and the narrative gets bogged down by a structure that imparts life lessons at every step. Josef Cowan-Liner and Dayjaney Cowan-Liner’s full-color cartoon illustrations are mostly uncomplicated but include potentially confusing fantasy sequences that aren’t mentioned in the text.

An often-sweet but uneven pet story for younger kids.

Kirkus Reviews