Why I Do Not Like Carl, An Essay By Courage The Reading Dog

This is a Turkey Vulture, this is NOT Carl.

People often ask me, "Courage, what is it about Vultures that you don't like so much?  Why are you always barking at them?"

The answer is that I DO like most vultures!  I love most vultures!  As you probably know already, there are two different types of vultures that you commonly see in the United States, Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures.  Did you know that vultures are actually very cool birds who provide a valuable service to people and dogs?  Its true!   Both types of vultures belong to the scientific family of birds called, Cathartidea.  The name Cathartidea comes from the Greek word "cathartes" which means "purifier."     One of the things that vultures eat is dead animals.  Most vultures don't kill other animals, they just come in to do the clean up.  That's why you often see them by the side of the road, feeding on the bodies of animals that have been hit by cars.  The vulture has very strong stomach acid that allows it to feed on, and digest meat that might be too spoiled for other predators to eat.  If it weren't for vultures doing the clean up, there would be a great deal more rotting carcasses around, and that could spread disease.  Especially if your dog is the type that likes to eat or roll on dead things!  Of course I don't do that, but never mind, back to vultures...  Did you also know that vultures don't chirp or screech like other birds?  That is because vultures do not have a syrinx , which is the part of the bird that allows it to vocalize.  Vultures have to be content with grunts and hisses (Morgan says "Sort of like Zombies.").

Morgan has drawn this picture of the two types of vultures to help you spot Carl.

If you see a vulture with a read head, you know that that is a Turkey Vulture and that is NOT Carl. Carl IS a vulture, but not a Turkey Vulture.  Carl is a Black Vulture.   Black vultures have black heads.  Obviously, not all Black Vultures are Carl, but he's out there, and if you see a Black Vulture it might be him. If you are looking up into the sky and you see a vulture flying, but you can not see what color its head is, here is a trick to tell the two types apart.  Turkey Vultures hold their wings in a "V" shape (V for Vulture- get it? See what they did there? Those clever vultures!), Black Vultures just hold their wings straight across.

This hazy photo is the best shot we have of  Carl.  Here, Carl is looking down from a lamp post and  taunting me!

So why do I dislike Carl so much you ask?  Carl is a vulture who has been known to feed on baby animals like goats and cattle.  It has been the job of Great Pyrenees to protect flocks of farm animals for generations.  Being a Great Pyrenees myself, I take this job very seriously.  I know that Carl is just trying to get dinner, but its my job to tell him to move on, and look for his dinner somewhere else!  So I go crazy!   I bark, and I jump, and I lunge, and I bark some more.   Usually Carl flies off when I do this.  But if he's sitting somewhere pretty high, and he knows I can't get up to him, sometimes Carl just stays put, and taunts me.  He says, "Oh yeah Dog?!  Is that all you've got?!  Why don't you fly up here, and say it to my face?!  Oh I forgot!  You don't have wings!  Poor dumb dog!"  Ooooh! that makes me so MAD!

Eventually, of course, I calm down, and we all go on our way.  I don't actually have any sheep or goats or cows to guard right now (the chickens only sort of count since vultures don't seem to eat chickens).  If you want to know the truth, my barking is mostly just to show off.  Once I've put Carl in his place, Zoe, and Morgan, and I can continue on our walks.

The next time you come upon a vulture, try to see if you can tell if it is a Turkey Vulture or a Black Vulture.  If it is a Black Vulture, feel free to shake your fist at him and say,"Curse you Carl!  Go find your dinner somewhere else!"  If he flies off, that was probably Carl!  If he doesn't fly away he's either taunting you, or he's not Carl and he's saying to himself, "Who is this Carl person, and why does this human think I am him?!"

Courage Reviews Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge

Paw Rating = Five paws out of five.

Level = Advanced Reader through Adult.

Real Quick = Mosca is named after the patron saint of flies.  With her inauspicious name, and her badly behaved goose, Saracen, Mosca runs away from home to save a kingdom on the verge of civil war. Her adventures are both harrowing AND hysterical.

Courage reviews, Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge

Readers, you (and your parents) are in for treat when you pick up Fly By Night by Ms Frances Hardinge! If you liked the Harry Potter books, there is a very good chance you will love this very funny adventure story set in a land on the verge of civil war.  There are some pretty wicked characters out to get the heroine, (a young girl named Mosca,) and her ornery goose (Saracen).  Mosca is on her own,  She has to take care of  her goose, and herself, by playing both sides in a very dangerous political game.  Sometimes its nearly impossible for Mosca (and the the readers) to tell who in the story is a friend, and who is only acting like a friend so they can do something rotten later on once Mosca and Saracen trust them.  This book is written in a delightfully funny style (think Monty Python meets The Muppets) that makes the pages speed by.  Morgan and I didn't want it to end!  The good news is, there's a sequel!  So don't be sad when you finish this story.  Mosca  and Saracen have more thrilling adventures in the second book.

   What is your favorite book?  Would you like to write a book review for my blog? You can send your book review to Courage2Read@gmail.com  and I will publish it in this blog.  You will be famous!  Would you like me to review a book for you?  Just leave a comment in the comment section under this blog post, and I will try to review your book for you.  Want to read more of my book reviews?  Please stay tuned to this blog, More book reviews from Courage The Reading Dog are on the way!

Courage Reviews The Big Pets By Lane Smith

Paw Rating = Five paws out of five.

Level = Medium/easy reader.  Good for a read aloud bedtime story too.

Real Quick = A girl and her giant cat visit magical places where kids and their pets play.

Courage reviews, The Big Pets written and illustrated by Lane Smith.

Hello Readers!  You may have heard me say before that I LOVE stories with great illustrations.  Well, in this reading dog's opinion, Lane Smith does some of the the best illustrations of all!  Mr. Smith has a really unusual style.  If it seems familiar to you, it might be because you have seen Mr. Smith's art work and design in some of your favorite movies.  Mr. Smith did the conceptual design for the movie James and The Giant Peach AND Monster's Inc.  I bet all of my Readers have seen Monster's Inc!  What a great movie!  Oh,but I digress.  This is a BOOK review!

This is one of my favorite books by Mr. Smith (I am also pawtial to The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly stupid Tales which Mr. Smith illustrated, and Mr. Jon Scieszka wrote).  The Big Pets follows the adventures of a little girl and her giant cat as they travel through to the many different lands where children play with their pets.  In the cat land there is a giant milk pool to swim in, while the hamster land is full of holes and tunnels.  What do you suppose is in the place that dogs love?  I'm not going to tell you in this review.  I'll let you read the book and find out for yourself, but I'll give you a hint; dogs love to bury them...

What is your favorite book?  Would you like to write a book review for my blog? You can send your book review to Courage2Read@gmail.com  and I will publish it in this blog.  You will be famous!  Would you like me to review a book for you?  Just leave a comment in the comment section under this blog post, and I will try to review your book for you.  Want to read more of my book reviews?  Please stay tuned to this blog, More book reviews from Courage The Reading Dog are on the way!

Courage's Pawsitively Grrrrrrreat Homemade Pawsicles For Dogs

Hello Readers!  Remember way back in this post I told you about how hot I get during the summer? Does your dog get really hot too? Well summer is almost here (I know, I know, its barely April, but I live in Texas, so believe me, it's almost summer!) and I wanted to share a recipe for my Pawsitively Great Homemade Pawsicles For Dogs. You can make these pawsicles after you and your family have eaten a roasted chicken.  Just be sure to have your parents save all the bones and skin and gristle from the chicken.  I know, I know, people are always saying NOT to give chicken bones to dogs, and I certainly don't recommend it, but you can use the chicken bones to make a healthy broth.  Then you freeze the broth and turn it into pawsicles that dogs love!  This is a great way for your dog to enjoy some nutritious chicken broth and a cool treat on a hot day.

 Morgan says to remind you to get your parents permission before you make this recipe.  It's also a good idea to get someone to help you remove the chicken bones from the broth so you can be sure nothing sharp accidentally gets in, but more of that in a minute.

First, here is what you will need:

One Slow Cooker - 6 Quarts or larger.

Two no-stick Silicone muffin trays (something like this)

Soup ladle

One chicken carcass (carcass = whatever is left after your family eats a whole, roasted chicken.  Ideally there will be bones and skin and little bits of meat still left, but this will work even if there are only bones).

Three large-ish carrots cut into small chunks.

Two large celery stalks also cut into small
chunks

One clove of garlic chopped

One potato cut into small cubes

One teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar  (optional)

Water



OK, gather your ingredients.  Please get an adult to help you cut up the carrots celery and potato if you need to.  I personally do not cut up the ingredients myself.  Morgan does all the chopping work, I just supervise.  Put the chicken carcass and all the other ingredients into the slow cooker then add water, Use enough so that the chicken carcass is covered.  The more water you add the more pawsicles you can make, but the more water you add the weaker the pawsicles will taste.  Morgan usually adds about 4 cups of water to ours.  Turn the slow cooker on low and set a timer for 8 hours and let the broth cook.

Here is what the pawsicles look like before they go in the freezer.
Morgan has added small pieces of chicken meat and skin.  Just
be sure there are no bones!

After eight hours the broth is done (and the whole house will smell really good!).  Turn the slow cooker off and let the broth cool.  You may have to leave it over night.  Be sure the broth is cool before going on to the next step.  Now take the vegetable chunks (the carrots, potatoes and celery) out and distribute them evenly in the silicone muffin cups.  Next, use a ladle and scoop up  only the liquid, watch out for tiny bones, you don't want those in the pawsicles!  Pour the liquid broth into the muffin cups over the cooked veggie chunks. Cover the muffin pans with saran wrap, and freeze in your freezer until solid.  These pawsicles store frozen, for up to 6 months.   Once the pawsicles are solid you can serve them to your dog as a cool treat in the summer.  I recommend serving them outside./  I like to take mine into the yard to eat.  I have a favorite tree I like to lie under while I enjoy my yummy pawsicle.

I hope your dog likes these yummy (and healthy) treats as much as I do!

Yum!  I LOVE pawsicles!

The Fabulous Ms. Carmen

Hello Everyone, it is I, Courage The Reading Dog, welcome to my blog!

Today's post is an extra special for me because I will be interviewing my good friend, Ms. Carmen. Ms. Carmen is the Children's Services Coordinator for one of the libraries Morgan and I visit when we read with kids.  Ms. Carmen introduced The Paws And Read program at the library.  She has become a good friend of mine.  I am really excited that she agreed to be interviewed.  Morgan is jealous of Ms. Carmen because Morgan has always secretly wanted to work in a library. I thought Morgan, and maybe some other readers, might enjoy hearing a little more about Ms. Carmen and her very cool job.  So without further ado, here is my interview with the fabulous, Ms. Carmen!

Ms. Carmen and I share a joke during a break on the library patio.

Courage Interviews Ms. Carmen

Courage:  "Ms Carmen, your job looks like a lot of  fun to me.  What made you decide to work for the library?"

Ms. Carmen:  "I love children, and working with people.  This job allows me to do both."

Courage:  "Did you go to school to study books?"

Ms. Carmen: "I actually went to school to be a teacher.  I was a teacher for eighteen years in Guatemala, my country of origin, before I started working at the library."

Courage:  "What is your favorite thing about your job?"

Ms. Carmen: "My favorite thing is working with families, coordinating activities for them to enjoy."

Courage:  "Lots of people read books on their computers or tablets these days.  Do you think there will ever be a day when you don't have shelves full of books, but just have books stored in The Cloud instead?  How do you see your library changing five years from now?"

Ms. Carmen:  "Our library continues to evolve and adapt in this changing world.  Being part of this evolution is something that makes me really proud. I think that technology is a great part of our daily life.  I do not know if books (paper copies) will go away, but I certainly hope they don't.  The library has a wide variety of e-resources that include electronic books, encyclopedias and data bases, downloadable music, movies to stream, and more.  Whatever the future holds, the library is up to the challenge!  In fact, we are getting a second location that will provide even more of the same great services to our citizens.  Lisa Charbonnet, our library director, says, 'We are the community living room.  We are growing and having a marvelous time. We will always continue to offer materials in an ever expanding number of formats."

Courage:  "Ms. Carmen, do you have any books you'd like to recommend for my readers?"

Ms. Carmen:  "Planning and preparing for storytime has allowed me to become familiar with a lot of picture books.  These are some of my favorites;

Green Eggs And Ham by Dr. Suess

Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Bark George by Jules Feiffer

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle


(this is Morgan interrupting again, I just wanted to point out that The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the books Courage parodied in THIS blog post- OK I'm going away now, back to you Courage)

Courage:  "Ms. Carmen, thank you so much for talking with me today.  I'll see you soon at Paws And Read."

Ms. Carmen:  "Thank you Courage.  It was my pleasure."

What Is A Reading Dog Anyway?

Here I am with Morgan and one of my great reading friends. *

Sometimes people ask me how I got to be a Reading Dog.  I used to start by saying, "Well, it all began in the back of a humble barn, five years ago, when a beautiful Great Pyrenees female gave birth to a litter of puppies..."  I soon discovered, however, that this was not what people were asking about.  They even seemed, dare I say it?  A little bit bored when I started to tell them my whole life story.  This was quite surprising to me because ...

(Morgan says - "Courage, you need to get on with it.  You're rambling, you'll lose your audience.  Just tell them about how you trained to be a reading dog.  Try to keep it simple, O.K. Bubba?")

Harumpf!  That's typical of Morgan, interrupting me when I'm in the middle of blogging.  She thinks she's the leader of our reading team, and usually I humor her but lately...

(Morgan says - "Courage! Get to it!")

Alright, alright.

Just in case anyone doesn't know what a Reading Dog does, let me briefly explain.  Reading Dogs and their human partners travel to schools and libraries and listen to kids read stories.  Some kids are excellent readers and just want to practice reading out loud to an audience.  Some kids are very young and they haven't started reading yet.  Those kids just want to show me the pictures and tell me about what happens in the book.  That's fine, I love that!  Some kids have a little trouble reading, and they would rather read to a dog because dogs love the way everybody reads.  We dogs don't mind if you take a little extra time to sound out words, or if you need to get a some help from your Mom or Dad, or your teacher.  Best of all, we Reading Dogs, never interrupt anyone when they are reading. We just lay down, or sit down, and listen.  Of course, we love to have our belly's rubbed or our backs petted while we do it.

Some of my readers like to snuggle on me just like a big, fluffy pillow.*

It may sound like a great job, and guess what?  It is!!!  But in order to get a job like this you have to be the right kind of dog, and you have to have to train your human very carefully.  Morgan and I took FOUR tests in order to get certified as a complex therapy dog team before we began volunteering.

If you would like to learn more about the classes and the tests Morgan and I took in order to be a reading dog team, please stay tuned to this blog for more posts on what it takes to be a therapy dog. You can also visit the wonderful people at The Austin Dog Alliance  web site for more information on therapy dog teams and a list of  on going classes.

* Special thanks to Morgan's Mom for taking these great pictures of me with some of my Readers.

Courage Reviews The Animal Family By Randall Jarrell

 Paw Rating = Five Paws out of Five

 Level = Advanced Reader

 Real Quick = A sweet, peaceful, story about a lonely hunter who adopts an unlikely family.

What Makes A Family?

Hello everyone, it is I, Courage The Reading Dog, here to do my first book report for my blog.  The book I want to tell Readers about is one called, The Animal Family by Randall Jarell.  There's a picture of it up there. See it?  You might be noticing those beautiful illustrations.  Those are done by the famous children's book illustrator, Maurice Sendak .  If you have ever seen a book called Where The Wild Things Are then you've seen some of Mister Sendak's wonderful illustration work.  

This story opens with a lonely hunter living next to the sea shore.  The hunter loves the land and the forest and all the wild beauty around him.  He is almost happy, except that he gets a bit lonely. Then one day the hunter meets a mermaid.  The hunter and the mermaid become friends.  Each enjoys the other's company, each learns new things from the other, until finally the mermaid decides to take a big step and move into the hunter's house on the hill.

At first the mermaid misses the ocean very much.  It's hard for her to get around on land.  Things like beds, and tables, and chairs seem so strange to her, all she can do is laugh at them.  Gradually, the mermaid learns how to live in her new, dry environment.  She and the hunter come to care for each other very deeply.  Then one day the hunter brings home a baby bear...

As the story progresses the hunter adds more unusual animals to his family.  The new family members bring great happiness to the hunter and the mermaid, even though it means extra work, and sometimes extra messes and misadventures.  

Morgan, (my person) and I, both love this story.  We like the way it keeps us entertained without ever having any violence, or even any really serious peril or danger in it.  It is a quiet story about how good it feels to have a family.  It's about how a family can be anyone, even if they are not always related, or even if they aren't a human.   This book makes great bedtime reading.  It is warm, and comforting, and makes this dog, at least, really appreciate his own family.  Yes, even his sister, Craaaaazzzy Zoe.

This is Zoe.  Morgan says she is, "Chocolate with nuts."

What is your favorite book?  Would you like to write a book review for my blog? You can send your book review to Courage2Read@gmail.com  and I will publish it in this blog.  You will be famous!  Would you like me to review a book for you?  Just leave a comment in the comment section under this blog post, and I will try to review your book for you.  Want to read more of my book reviews?  Please stay tuned to this blog, More book reviews from Courage The Reading Dog are on the way!