Madeline Finn and the Therapy Dog - Lisa Papp - ★★★★★

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AUTHOR: Lisa Papp
SERIES: Madeline Finn, #3
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
PUBLICATION DATE: September 1, 2020
RATING: 5 howls-of-happiness stars!


In a Nutshell: The third picture book in the Madeline Finn series, and just as beautiful and impactful. I’ve run out of adjectives to praise this series, so just go for it.


Plot Preview:
Star has a test, and Madeline is doing everything she can to prepare him for it. On the big day, Madeline and Star are off to Walker Oaks, a retirement community, where Star will be tested on his potential as a therapy dog. The tests have a smooth start, and Madeline’s mom is confident that Star did well. But Madeline herself can't help but think about an elderly man in a wheelchair who never smiled or looked their way. Can Star do better with him? Can she help in any way?
The story comes to us in Madeline’s first-person perspective.


By now, I expect the sun and the moon and the *Star* from this book series, and it delivers every time!
Yet again, the book brings to us the delectable combo of dogs and reading, with a fresh new setting of the retirement community.

Madeline is a joy this time around as well. I love how this young girl has so much of empathy and sincerity in her actions. She also doesn’t shy away from talking to adults about her concerns and heeding their advice – a lesson all little children ought to remember.

Through Star’s tests, we also get to see how stringently dogs are tested before they can work as therapy dogs. It was nice to see his momma Bonnie be there to encourage him.

This book too offers several practical life lessons, including the important one of having patience with others. I love how both the second and the third books indicate simple and practical ways by which even a child can make a difference in their local community. All that you need is time, love, and willingness.

The page layout is perfect this time as well. I love how balance the stories always are between the artwork and the text, never letting any page feel cluttered.

What new things can I say about the illustrations! I think it helps when picture book authors are illustrators too, because they know exactly what they want to convey through the text and incorporate that mood in the graphics.

The audiobook, clocking at a little less than ten minutes, is narrated by Merissa Czyz. A different narrator this time, but the quality hasn’t reduced. Czyz does just as fine a job as Frutkin did with the first two books. To those who enjoy picture books on audio, this is a great option. I do miss the illustrations every time.

In short, recommended without a doubt! This lovely series will be perfect for little readers aged 4-8. Given the plotline, this book would work wonderfully at homes as well as in classrooms.

This was again a library read for the audio version, with some cheating by opting for the lovely Youtube version read by ‘Storytime With Lorelei’ so that I could look at the graphics.

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