Delightful, Heartwarming, Story
938318
Perhaps more geared to a bit younger audience than me (I'm 70), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. As a Christian mother, it was easy to relate to practically all the characters in this novel.  People are all very much alike in so many ways, rich or poor, regardless of skin color, or nationality.  God hears and answers prayer; He is no respective of persons.  He just wants us to look to Him and trust Him.  An excellent read!
3689852
This story is a heartwarming story about friendship. The author clearly understands the hearts and minds of young children. With her insight as an Early Childhood Educator, she has written a story, based on her own two dogs, that will help young children understand that new friendships make life more interesting. I have shared this story with my students who fell in love with the characters and were so happy for Max and Molly! Thank you, Kathy Miranda, for sharing your story, your joy and your vision! <3
2456597
Beautifully illustrated and heartwarming story! I've truly enjoyed reading this and sharing it with friends and family.
4650208
Right from the first page of this endearing story, it is obvious the author, Annarita Guarnieri is a tireless animal lover.

She tells this story from the point of view of Shine, an abandoned Belgian Shepherd puppy. We follow Shine's life from the terrible moment of her abandonment in a ditch, to her days in the shelter, and then to her wonderful new home with the author.

In an entertaining and easy-to-read style, we see how Shine adapts to her new home, her loving "mum" and her collection of cats and various other animals. We feel as if the author is entirely inside Shine's head, as she so vividly evokes her fears, her needs, and her warm personality.

Shine was one of the lucky ones at the shelter. She ended up having a wonderful life, and no dog could have wished for a more caring owner.

This story is a special one of love, trust and friendship, and I would highly recommend it to animal-lovers, not only as humorous entertainment, but also as a lesson in taking responsibility for animals and their welfare.
25600
This story is insightful and heartwarming.
the book is easy to read, and you will not want to put it down once you start reading it.
I highly recommend this book.
3915671
One of t h e sweetest,  touching fun loving stories.
3942792
An absolutely delightful read that I enjoyed to the hilt! It is one of those rare books that could be read to a lapful of grandchildren, who would enjoy it for the surface content of the wonderful episodes in the life of Mr. Bumble and his family, while simultaneously moving the narrator to laugh out loud and struggle through the tears and the lump in the throat. I found myself being convinced that the characters had been fashioned by someone with a hidden peephole into our own home. Like an all-day sucker, it goes way too fast. I had to consciously slow down to savor the exquisitely poignant last chapter when the devoted and faithful little dog was reluctant to say goodbye to his grieving mistress in much the same scene I personally experienced years ago. The illustrations are a perfect complement that adds a whole other dimension to the book which is printed on very nice quality paper. I enjoyed it so much that I promptly ordered three more copies to give as Christmas gifts and received some of the best and most lively thank you notes ever. It belongs not just with adult or childrens books, but crosses the divide to be enjoyed on different levels by all generations. It really is a love story for the family. My husband's response to it was similar to mine.
1730300
I was planning to hold my review until closer to Easter, but once I read this heartwarming story, I wanted to go ahead and tell you! It would make a delightful addition to your child's Easter basket or to find on an egg hunt!

All of the characters, both human and animal are perfect... Jenny is the main character and you can tell just through the story that she is a loving daughter and animal lover--and they all love her too! She lives on a farm, and right now, everybody is excited because Millie, who is called the mother of the animals, is going to have a little calf!

Jenny is already thinking about what to name the little baby, but her new friend, Jonathan, who is very much into his Cherokee heritage, suggested that she wait until the calf was born and name her once she has seen the baby... This turned out to be the best suggestion possible, because sometimes farm animals had trouble with their birthings...

Readers will spend time with Jenny and Jonathan at school, but most of the story covers the amazing animals on the farm, as a new baby animal is expected. And, of course, Samson, the family dog, and Debra, who is Jenny's cat, were always waiting at the end of the road for the school bus to appear...

But as Millie's time came closer and closer, everybody on the farm spent most of their time in the barn... waiting! It was wonderful to see the love and concern exhibited for each other, and that included both the humans and the animals! All of the farm animals had their job as assigned by The General and when the time was necessary, even the wolves joined Samson to support Millie...

It was the night of the children's program at the church that it started... and all the animals were alone when Millie began to feel pain... Personally, I couldn't get over how the author chose the cat to help the most! Very cool!

If you're like me, you may feel this story sounds a little like the birth of Jesus, as all the animals gathered around Mary and Joseph, to welcome the birth of their son... But that is not why we celebrate Easter!  You see, there's an enthralling twist to what happens that night which I think all readers will find both thrilling and, well, a miracle...and surely it was...

This is an awesome Easter story--unexpected, yet delightful and certainly a wonderful way to share various stories of the Bible in a very special way! I especially found it inspiring to have the story of Easter set within the family of animals and people and how God and prayer was a natural part of their lives every day, whenever...

This is a must-read recommendation for me... Find out why and meet the little calf that was named...  Ah, I don't think you could every guess! Have a Happy Easter!

GABixlerReviews
Ebook provided for Review
4672389
This is my first book review so bear w/ me.  I am an avid reader of romance novels and have been for many years.  Having said this, I am delighted to have discovered this book.  The story is charming, funny, heartwarming, and well paced.  All the characters are wonderfully well developed. The romance between the H and h is charming and believable. The villain is odious. I loved this story, and am eager to read more from this author.  I would especially like to read follow up stories about the escapades of the younger sisters. The heroine's family is delightful. The romance is sexy, but if you require explicit sex scenes, this is not the story for you.  Don't get me wrong, such scenes are fine w/ me if they add to the romance, but this book is so well written that I had almost finished it before I realized that there had been none.  You won't miss the loss. This one is a keeper!
4742926
What a wonderful story. I enjoyed it so very much!
72691
What an adorable dog tale! Refreshing in the message it offers, the happy ending, and in bringing us a story that doesn't involve some unbelievable superhero dog that tries to mimic a superhero movie but with dogs. One could even, with a teensy stretch, imagine that this lovely story could happen. My husband and I were sick, and looking for a movie to watch when we found this. Heartwarming, cute, and brings a smile to these dog loving hearts. Excellent choice!
3385092
This book is written with love and is certain to warm the reader's heart.  It's a delightful story for both young and old and most of all - it's fun to read!
471436
EASILY AMUSED has so many reviews that it probably doesn't need another one, but I just finished reading this delightful story and wanted to say how much I enjoyed it--and why.

Some reviewers panned this book because it wasn't what they thought it should have been. Sometimes when a book is billed as romantic comedy, there's a tendency to think it should be a laugh a minute, but there are all kinds of humor and all kinds of romance.

This book is of the amusing and sweet variety as it explores a young woman's growth from a narrow existence in which she keeps people at a distance and isn't open to new relationships or ideas to a full life rich with friends and relationships and more generous attitudes.

In the beginning, she scorns what her best friend has--a husband and baby--yet she tells herself that she wants those very things. In the end, her heart is "bigger" and she does things for the right reasons rather than doing lip service to good deeds and taking the easy way out to avoid getting involved.

Sure, if you read enough romance novels, you know from the get-go with whom Lola is destined to be. That didn't take away anything from the story because that wasn't what the story was about. It was about having Lola grow and change so that she could accept more into her life. It was about her opening her heart and her mind to new attitudes and beliefs.

I found EASILY AMUSED to be a heartwarming story of character growth, peopled with interesting secondary characters, and featuring a hero who is good and kind and, as Lola discovers, heroic in the best definition of the word.
4975253
A wonderful heart warming story that had me alternately feeling good and on the verge of tears as we learn of Skip's travails. Tim Greaton's The Santa Shop has a message for all of us at this special time of year as the holidays draw near. A wonderful mix of fantasy and fact, we are lessoned with the meaning of living a full life, and reminded of how much we have to look forward to. With a straightforward yet descriptive style, Tim puts us at the scene and in fact in the scene. This wonderfully well told story deserves five stars. You won't be able to put it down. I smile when I think about it.
2603852
A beautifully written, heartwarming story of kindness, community and acceptance. The short chapters and illustrations make it a perfect read-aloud book for elementary age kids, although as an adult I really enjoyed the story myself.
647321
Loved this uplifting story!  Written with a little bit of humor too..A warm story of the importance of everyone having a sense of community and a purpose for living.
4251733
This is a truly delightful story. I was moved by its bittersweet beginning, as Moojie is abandoned by his birth parents and raised in a convent where he is never wanted or accepted. He's then adopted by a loving family but it turns out that he has serious physical and mental disabilities. Robin Gregory does an amazing job of portraying Moojie's mother's great love and boundless patience, which nourishes Moojie's soul until the untimely end of their relationship.

From that point on Moojie - a fragile and sensitive boy - longs for a love that the too-realistic world cannot provide. The author brings us into Moojie's heart in a way that we can all understand and relate to.

As Moojie grows, he learns to take care of himself - including his physical and mental challenges - in increasingly better ways. And yet he simply doesn't fit in with anyone else his age. The author creates for us - and for Moojie - a magical world in which Moojie has a great deal to offer and is respected and encouraged.

The lessons that Moojie learns from his otherworldly friends are important and simple ones - help others and make peace with your enemies. The author presents these values very clearly and simply enough that young adult readers can understand and think about them. It will be nice if adult readers can do the same!