Kirkus Reviews QR Code
SASHI, THE SCARED LITTLE SHELTIE by Linda Greiner

SASHI, THE SCARED LITTLE SHELTIE

by Linda Greiner

Publisher: Brown Books Publishing Group

This debut picture book by sheltie–rescue-advocate Greiner describes how to care for Shetland sheepdogs.

Sashi, a sheltie, herds by instinct. She chases everything, imagining cars and children on bicycles to be sheep. Her owners don’t understand that this is the nature of shelties, and they drop her off at a shelter rather than try to train her. Afraid of everything, Sashi spends most of her time hiding from the people who visit the shelter. But eventually, a woman from Shetland Sheepdog Rescue comes to rehabilitate Sashi—and only a few days later, a little girl named Anna and her mother bring Sashi home. The girl and her mom know what it takes to train a dog to come, sit and investigate scary things. During the training process, Anna teaches Sashi to find her in hide-and-seek games around the house—an idea sure to delight young dog lovers. Readers will be pleased to watch frightened Sashi gain confidence and feel loved (rather than being constantly scolded for her natural behavior). Based on a true story, this picture book has a lot of kid appeal, and the illustrations are delightfully child-friendly. The idea that various dog breeds act differently may help families make better decisions when looking to buy or rescue a dog. The relationship between Anna and Sashi is heartwarming and will resonate with readers who love dogs. The vocabulary is largely approachable for newly independent readers, with some challenging words and phrases. Lap readers may enjoy looking at the pictures and discussing Sashi’s happy ending.

A sweet success story about transforming a scared, neglected pup into a champion.