Review of My Friend Charlie

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5 out of 5 stars

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We can learn crucial life lessons from anybody or anything; just be observant and open-minded in assessing the outcome. In this children’s book, Scott MacDonald shares with readers the lessons they’ve learned from their dog, Charlie. These lessons border on everyday nuggets of life and living, like how to control our emotions, the benefits of hanging out with people and engaging in teamwork, how to make the best use of every moment available to us, and the need to accommodate others irrespective of their race or social status, among other invaluable insights a child would need to fully develop. Each of the lessons is matched with corresponding illustrations.

What I liked most about this book was the way MacDonald organised it. Each lesson is presented in a simple, short sentence. Alongside the lesson is a beautiful painting of Charlie demonstrating it. Two major things stand out from the above. First, children can easily comprehend the lessons and remember them for a long time. Second, they will find themselves bonding with this cute, likeable puppy named Charlie.

The lessons covered in this book are essential and beneficial to readers of all ages. For example, the lesson on keeping a happy mood concerns all ages because it influences our ability to make friends, engage in teamwork, and actualize our goals. If we lose it, we might even get such lovely pets as puppies and kittens running away from us. As such, I recommend this book to not only readers aged three to ten but also to older readers.

Furthermore, the illustrations are very colourful, and they accurately capture the lessons matched with them. I especially liked the paintings on pages 37 and 38. These illustrations created exceptional memories in me that are still very much alive in my mind’s eye, even hours after I finished reading the book. Also, I didn’t find any grammatical errors in this book, which shows that it was thoroughly edited.

I don’t have anything to complain about in this book. Based on the aforementioned positive aspects, I rate My Friend Charlie: A Book for Young Readers and Dog Lovers five out of five stars. There is no reason to rate it lower.

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My Friend Charlie
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