Reviews
Book Reviews
“A rich reading experience for elementary school kids.”
“A lovely, resonant, child-appropriate tale about loss and the cycle of grief and healing. ”
From Kirkus Reviews.
Every dog wants to be tough—big, strong, fearless—but in this illustrated debut picture book, Jimmy finds toughness on the inside.
Jimmy is a shelter dog. Not only has he never known the love of a family, but he has also never known what it is to run and play. He was born with only three legs, so the people at the shelter have always regarded him as “special” and kept him apart from the other dogs for his own safety. When at last he is adopted, the man at the shelter bids him goodbye with a gentle warning—“Remember: don’t run or jump, and please don’t play. You could get hurt.” Love is immediate between Jimmy and his new owners, Stan and Lola, but it is slower to develop with Arrow, the other dog in the house, who doubts Jimmy’s ability to protect the yard from birds and squirrels. But Jimmy finds his footing, both literally and figuratively, and is soon racing around the park with Arrow, making new friends and growing strong and surprisingly fast. Still, it turns out that there was some truth to the shelter man’s premonition that Jimmy, left to his own devices, might get himself hurt, even though it doesn’t happen in quite the way anyone might have imagined. Jimmy’s physical and mental toughness in the face of disaster impresses everyone but surprises no one, earning him the family moniker of “Toughest. Dog. Ever.” Mills based the book, her first, on the story of her own special dog, Djembe, and used her classroom experience to craft a rich reading experience for elementary school children. She uses action and dialogue to develop her characters—spunky but anxious Jimmy, gruff Arrow, fatherly Stan—and effective sensory language to evoke the dog’s life: “Warm air and the smell of Lola, Stan, and Arrow washed over him.” There are big ideas here, too, including what it means to be special and what it means to be tough and how there are good and bad things about both. The serviceable, coloring-book–style line drawings by Shorter support the text well and will appeal to the book’s target audience. A great classroom book full of lessons about language and life.
from Kirkus Reviews
In this illustrated sequel, a little dog struggles with the death of his best friend and the arrival of a new pooch in the house.
Jimmy, a small dog with three good legs and an eye lost to a snake bite, adores Arrow, his shaggy, tough housemate. As established in Mills’ previous children’s book, Jimmy: Toughest. Dog. Ever. (2015), the canines have bonded with each other and their human caretakers, Lola and Stan. In this touching sequel targeting a wider range of readers (its graceful treatment of love and loss will resonate with many adults, too), Arrow dies. Grieving Jimmy (whose speech is distinguished by italicized text) tries to understand when Stan comforts him: “Nothing ever dies. Nothing ever really dies. Everything’s always changing.” Never glib, Jimmy’s journey toward acceptance is subtly underscored by the changing seasons. When autumn brings Gus, a gentle rescue dog, to the family, Jimmy is resentful at first. He tells the big, friendly newcomer: “This is my house. These are my people. You don’t belong here. You’re doing everything wrong. Arrow would never lie down by the pond while birds and squirrels ran through the yard.” But Jimmy soon learns from Lola that “a heart can stretch….It can hold more and more and more. A heart can hold more than you would ever think.” The soft quality of debut illustrator Gauthier’s beautifully executed images, positioned at the tops and bottoms of pages throughout, deepen readers’ connection to the heartwarming narrative. (The website toughestdogever.com includes a useful discussion guide for kids.)
A lovely, resonant, child-appropriate tale about loss and the cycle of grief and healing.
“… I work with young at-risk children AND I do a lot of animal rescue, so this little book rings all my bells. Jimmy teaches children AND grown-ups that everyone … deserves a safe and loving home, and that if you have that as the backdrop for your life you can overcome enormous challenges. It also touches the tender spot that most children have for animals and confirms their value. … I intend to use it extensively with my clients (kids) and give it as a gift to young and old.”
– Nancy Ferguson, children’s therapist, Dallas
This book for young readers is about a lovable, three-legged mutt named Jimmy. Jimmy lives in an animal shelter until Lola and Stan adopt him.
The book is entertaining because it presents canines that can talk to each other like animal characters in a Disney film.
At first, Arrow tells his new, smaller housemate not to follow him around the dog park because all of Arrow’s friends will make fun of them. Arrow’s attitude radically changes when Jimmy shows Arrow how fast he can run with three legs hitting the ground and the stump giving him balance. Arrow acts like a protective big brother when he stands up for Jimmy in the face of a pair of bullying dogs, a husky and a bulldog.
But it is not until after Jimmy has a more formidable challenge that Arrow, as well as Lola and Stan, show their admiration for him. …
The book is really an excellent instructional tool. In that regard, it is brimming with opportunities for young readers to take Jimmy’s experiences and think how they can apply those experiences to themselves….
Among those topics are sticking up for your friends, dealing with bullying, feeling different about yourself in varied situations, feelings about belonging, and the different ways it can mean to feel special.
David Steinberg, Albuquerque Journal, July 12, 2015
Reviews from Amazon
“This powerful story reminds us of the importance of the feeling of belonging – whether dog or human. It reminds us too, that the expectations of others can limit our opportunities. Given a loving and supportive environment, we can all thrive and exceed expectations. The story of Jimmy, a small three-legged dog, demonstrates the power of love and perseverance in the face of life’s challenges. I particularly appreciate the author’s portrayal of the dogs’ inner thoughts. They reflect the way we imagine dogs relate to the world.”
“I am a sucker for dog stories. Every time Lassie, dirty and heroic, runs to her owner in the old shows, I weep. This book had the same effect on me. It’s a small book, a seemingly small story about a small dog. But the dog and the book have big hearts. The book works on multiple levels–as a kid’s book, as an ageless inspirational tale, as a reminder to have compassion for differently abled creatures–dog, human or otherwise.
The story is also triumphant. Jimmy takes risks, encounters obstacles, perseveres, and prevails. Life lessons for us all. I suspect this book could be life-changing (or at least a lifeline) for children in turbulent situations. I read the book in one sitting and cried at the emotionally powerful conclusion. Although this is a kid’s book, adults will enjoy it too. Hope the book gets the wide audience it deserves. It’d also make a great animated movie.
“This is a great book for children, particularly children who may feel that they are different from other kids. It shows the importance of having a good heart and never giving up.”
“Death is not sweetened up, not a reasonable outcome, and not easily squared away. Real! Jimmy has to really wrestle with a huge loss and a lot of confusing and strong feelings. Good! All this hard work though, is presented in the most gentle manner possible. The big gaping empty lonely loss is broken down into elements that can be named- Arrow’s qualities that are so sorely missed. Jimmy, Stan and Lola help each other find strong connections to Arrow. They also add new connections because life goes on changing… Not to ignore the illustrations… they are brilliant in showing the essence of the characters and concepts. They leave room to fill in the family and personalize the specifics, for the reader to imprint the story and pictures from their own imagination or their own family. Wonderful! ”
– Leslie Firkins, Albuquerque
“This book, Jimmy: Toughest Times Ever is more than a children’s book. Somehow the author, Sally Hill Mills, manages to cut through categories of age, education and life experience to connect with her readers in a true heart place. Jimmy’s sweet and innocent nature as he experiences a range of pain and joy and the imagined conversations of the two main canine characters come across as completely authentic. This story is not a sentimental tale though I found my eyes moist at several points during the reading.”
— Judy Buffaloe, Dixon, NM
Hearing those two stories being read to our grandchild was like hearing them for the first time. Your writing style is clear and stripped to the bare essentials, which makes it all the more powerful. As I listened, I felt as though Jimmy was my “spirit guide,” teaching me about attachment, love, loss, and everything that it means to be human.
And herewith the central mystery; how is it possible that Jimmy, a “non-human,” can reach us in a way that is, somehow, more profound than any human teacher? — Arthur Shurcliff