YEAR OF THE DOG

In Chinese astrology, each year is related to the zodiac sign of of one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog or Pig.  2018 marks the 11th year in the current zodiac cycle making it the Year of the Dog.  We received a mystery package in the mail that turned out to be from W. Bruce Cameron, author of the novel A Dog's Purpose which was also made into a motion picture, filled with goodies to help my family celebrate the Year of the Dog. It included treats for our puppy along with his two newest books → A Dog's Way Home and Max's Story. This was a paw-some surprise!

Our Boxer puppy was infatuated with the doggy snacks packaged inside a fortune cookie container that were included in our Year of the Dog Celebration Package from W. Bruce Cameron. She just couldn't get enough of those. The box also included a portable water bowl and a leash for our dog.

My twins are at Middle Grade Reading Level right now so they were really interested in reading Max's Story. This story about a little dog in the big city was written specifically for young readers like them in mind. One of four middle grade readers adapted from Cameron's New York Times and USA Today bestselling novels A Dog's Purpose and A Dog's Journey it is an enjoyable read for elementary school aged children filled with adorable illustrations by Richard Cowdrey.  Max's Story also has reading and discussion guide at the end of the book providing some extra educational value for kids reading the book.

The kids also enjoyed seeing the movie A Dogs Purpose so they were really interested in the A Dog's Way Home novel we received. This book is also being adapted into a feature film heading to movie theaters. It is the story of Bella a dog that is picked up by Animal Control because pit bulls are banned in Denver which causes her owner Lucas to send her to a far away foster home until he can figure out what to do. But Bella, distraught at the separation, doesn’t plan to wait. With four hundred miles of dangerous Colorado wilderness between her and her person, Bella sets off on a seemingly impossible and completely unforgettable adventure home. This book is just a little bit above my son and daughter's reading level so we've been reading it out loud together.  That has made for some nice family time together with even our puppy sitting in on our huddle as we read through A Dog's Way Home.

It has truly been the Year of the Dog at our home with us bringing home our first family pet a few months ago. Enjoying this package from W. Bruce Cameron was a nice way for our family to commemorate the Year of the Dog with our new puppy.   For more information about this author and the canine adventures he has had published, head over to brucecameron.com. Also keep an eye out for the movie A Dog's Way Home scheduled to be released by Sony Pictures on January 11, 2019 starring Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King and Wes Studi.