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The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness
by Colin Thompson
George is a sad, lonely young boy who lives with his grandmother. On Friday afternoons, George visits the local dog shelter on his way home from school. He liked to spend time with the unwanted dogs where he felt at home and "everything seemed lonelier than he was." One afternoon, George meets a small three-legged dog that he feels a connection with and decides to take the scruffy little dog home. George's life begins to change for the better as soon as he adopts Jeremy and they begin to learn to love each other. George and his grandmother try to make Jeremy a leg so he can go for walks with some humorous and heart warming results.
Themes/ topics in this picture book include sadness, loneliness, non-traditional families, animal shelters, adopting pets, love and happiness.
Colin Thompson has written other books that deal with dogs or cats that are homeless or unwanted. These include: Unknown and The Staircase Cat by Colin Thompson and Anna Pignataro and Sometimes Love is Under your Foot by Colin Thompson.
Colin Thompson: http://www.colinthompson.com/
DPI Victoria Responsible Pet Ownership for Schools
Comprehensive coverage of pet ownership for primary school children. This easy to navigate site has information on choosing pets, lost pets, dealing with dogs, dealing with cats and fun interactive games.
http://www.pets.dpi.vic.gov.au/01/main.htm
Animal Welfare League QLD
Great teaching resources for P-10 available for free download. Integrated units on companion animals and responsible ownership. Lesson plans and BLMs.
http://www.awlqld.com.au/school-programs.html#teachingresources
