A Leonberger Book for Children

In this post I am reviewing Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue (Puppy Academy, 4) Paperback – August 29, 2017 by Gill Lewis. It is illustrated by Sarah Horne. It is the fourth and latest book in a children’s book series featuring the adventures of different dog breeds at the Puppy Academy. In the Puppy Academy dogs learn a job. In this book the main character is the Leonberger puppy Murphy. Considering that Leonbergers are a rare breed this is a nice surprise. The other books in the series feature a German Shepherd puppy, a Border Collie puppy, and a Labrador. The reading age is 7-9 but I believe it is OK for younger ages as long as a parent is doing the reading.

This paperback is 128 pages, ISBN 978-1627798044, item weight 4.8 ounces, dimensions 5.21 x 0.36 x 7.82 inches. You can buy it from Amazon, as a paperback, hardback or e-Book. The paperback version is currently $9.52 on Amazon, and the hardback is $12.94. The Kindle version is $9.99.

Normally I don’t read children’s books. OK maybe I do, but I read this one because it was about a Leonberger. I sent it friends of ours with young children (our children are grown up). I think this book was very well written and it is filled with life lessons and practical advice ideal for children. It is also quite useful to parents.

Below I am posting my Amazon review of Murphy and the Great Surf Rescue. I made some minor updates. Click here to see my original Amazon review. BTW I gave the book five stars.

A Leonberger learns important skills and as well as life lessons.

I bought this book for the children of friends of ours, but I read it myself first because it looked so interesting and the main character of the book, Murphy, is a young Leonberger, and we used to have a Leonberger. I couldn’t help myself, so I read the whole book, but I did not bend the book, so it is as good as brand new. Anyway, a Leonberger is a very large furry dog with big, webbed paws. They are great swimmers, they are protective and sensitive, and they are truly great family dogs.

Murphy is a member of the Puppy Academy where dogs train for all kinds of jobs. Murphy’s specialty is water rescue. In this book Murphy and his friends Scruff, Pip, Star, Major Bones, Boris, Professor Offenbach and Rodrigo are participating in some great water adventures and they are learning some great life lessons, especially Murphy.

The book is teaching children about water safety, the dangers of sea water, jelly fish, rip currents, how get out of a rip current, large waves, etc. The book also teaches children about envy and how to handle such feelings and to not compare yourself with others, and instead focus on learning and improving yourself. Above all, don’t play dangerous games or try to trick people. The book contained one oversimplification referring to Newfoundland dogs as the ancestors of Leonbergers. The St. Bernard is probably the main ancestors of the Leonberger but Newfoundland dogs and Pyrenee dogs are involved too, but that is not important.

I believe this is a really fun book for kids and it was interesting reading for me too. The story is great, and the information is useful and important. I highly recommend this book.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Finally, if you would like to learn about more about my book and find out where to buy it, click here or here. You can also click the image below to buy it from Amazon.