**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links. ​  But, all opinions expressed are my own.

    August 26th is National Dog Day.  While we don't have any pets right now, our family has definitely been dog people throughout my life.  We have had a few cats and other pets but, dogs are the animals we have loved the best.  National Dog Day is what has inspired today's Friday Fave topic. 
What is your favorite book about dogs? 
Oh my goodness! There are so many choices!  Today we are sharing some of our faves. If you know any dog lovers, this is a list they will enjoy.  Have you read all of these?

Dog Story Books:

• Clifford the Big Red Dog by Norman Bridwell: Kids love these many stories about Emily Elizabeth and her big, red dog named Clifford. Clifford always saves the day!
• Spot by Eric HIll: The perfect series of books about a dog for young toddlers. It is available as board books with eye catching illustrations.
• The Pokey Little Puppy by Janette Sebring Lowrey: This is a storybook that I remember from my childhood and it is one of the original Little Golden Books. This is a sweet story about a cute puppy with a lot of curiosity.
• Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli: This little puppy will steal every child's heart! There are 10 stories about Biscuit's adventures. The illustrations by Pat Schories are adorable.
• Charlie the Ranch Dog by Ree Drummond (Pioneer Woman): This is a cute book about Ree Drummond's dog Charlie and his life on the ranch. You can hear Ree read it to you herself! There is a very good taste of a lot of the story to hear on Amazon. Just click the link. The illustrations by Diane deGroat are super cute. This is the first book, but there are others available about Charlie as well.

 Chapter Books For Young and Old:

• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: Warning, this classic is a tear jerker. I remember sobbing over it in my youth. Billy worked hard to be able to own his 2 hunting dogs. The story of his love for them is a classic that everyone should read.
• The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford: This story about the dogs that carried medicine across frozen Alaska to save children is inspiring and compelling. I have read it in the classroom with 3rd grade students and they have loved it.
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London: This is one of London's most well known novels. It is about a St. Bernard named Buck who is kidnapped from his owner in California and taken to the Klondike. Buck shows his resilience and calls up the strength of his breed's ancestors to survive in the worst conditions. This is the 100th anniversary edition.
• Marley and Me by John Grogan: This book is about a crazy Labrador named Marley and how he became the heart of a family. This book has been made into a motion picture and after you read it you will see why. Another tear jerker!
• Old Yeller by Fred Gipson: This is the book that inspired the classic Disney movie. I had third graders read this and then we would watch the movie. I would weep every time. So did they. Are there any novels about dogs that aren't tear jerkers?
• A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron: I haven't read this one yet, but it comes highly recommended. It is also on the big screen! It is told from a dog's perspective.
• Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight: I grew up with the TV shows and movies about this collie. This book is already being published in it's 75th anniversary form. It is a classic that I couldn't leave off of this list.
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo: This is the story of how one scruffy stray dog changes a girl names Opal's life. Also a film, this is a terrific book!
• Sophie-The Incredible Story of a Castaway Dog by Emma Pearse: This is truly an incredible story! It is about a dog who went overboard but she ended up making it to the Great Barrier Reef and then remaining loyal to her family. This one made it on Oprah's list.

    Did we miss any of your faves?  Let us know in the comments! If you haven't read some of these, give them a try, you never know when one made into a movie will make it onto From Cover to Reel! 
​     If you find any books on here you might like to read and want more, here are some other suggestions from past posts. 

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

     We just put up our 2nd episode of our podcast! This is a new pursuit that we are having so much fun with! If you haven't given the podcast a listen yet, please do and let us know what you think! As you can tell from the name, Cover to Reel, our podcast deals with books that have been made into movies.  So far, we have covered Jurassic Park and The Wizard of OZ. In honor of the launch of our podcast, we decided to use Friday Faves today to showcase some of our favorite books to movies and to give you a preview of some of the books we hope to cover in the future.  

     Harry Potter, all book volumes and all movies: We all love this series! We hope to cover each book and accompanying movie(s) one by one.
      The Lord of the Rings, all book volumes (that set includes The Hobbit) and all movies: I love the books and the movies! You can tell that we really love fantasy by these first two choices.  And of course, there is Legolas.  Enough said! 
      The Hobbit, the book and all 3 movies:  I read this book in grade school and have reread it many times.  It is no surprise to me that they took 3 movies to tell the entire story! 
      Narnia, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: Read the entire Chronicles, but I would focus on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe when it comes to the movies. 
      A Wrinkle in Time, the movie is fairly new, finally after reading the book in elementary school! 
    The Hunger Games, this one is going to be a fun discussion because the books and the movies were so excellent! 
     To Kill a Mockingbird:  The movie is such a classic so well acted by Gregory Peck.  The book is rich and wonderful with a beautiful back story of the author's. 
     Last but not least, Shrek:  Lindsey and Alicia just recorded this one for the podcast.  The book is a simple child's book, but the movies takes it so much farther! Stay tuned for the podcast about this book/movie combo! 

       So, those are our faves for this Friday! Hopefully they will help you find some entertainment for the weekend. Read a book and then watch the movie so you can join in the conversation withCover To Reel! 

This post contains affiliate links.  If you make a purchase after clicking them, we will be compensated, but there is no additional cost to you.  All opinions expressed are our own.  Thank you for your support.

     Did you realize that this past week was National Library Week?  Living in the electronic age, have libraries become obsolete?  Are they less used than they once were.  But, as I peruse the library website that services Phoenix, I can see that libraries are still current and are keeping up with the times.  They have so many online services and extra benefits for patrons to use, all for the price of $0! So, in honor of National Library Week, and because we are all book lovers who have been library users from our youth, today's Friday Fave #57 is all about libraries! 

     When I was a child, my mother used to take me to the Clovis, CA Carnegie Library.  (You can see it and read about it here). It was constructed in 1915, so it was old and musty smelling even when I was a child.  I remember the steps up to the double doors that seemed much steeper back then and the creaky wooden floors.  The children's section was in the basement. My mom would let me go and peruse the books to my hearts content and choose the books that I wanted to read.  She would make her own choices upstairs and then come down and give me some suggestions.  I remember checking out Dr. Doolittle and the Complete Adventures of Winnie the Pooh , among many others. There weren't a lot of extra programs at the library that I can recall, but it was a magical place to me all the same. It no longer serves as the town's library, but the building still stands as a landmark of former days and houses the Clovis Chamber of Commerce. 
     When my own children were young, I would take them to the Phoenix library, especially during the summer, when school was out.  During the school year they could use the school library, and I didn't want to mix up which books went to which library. Of course, if they needed something special that the school didn't have, we would go to the city library.  But, during the summer, it was always great to keep the kids reading and to participate in our library's summer reading program.  They won little prizes until finally at the end they could win Diamondback Baseball Game tickets after reading a certain number of books! Once, I took them to hear a cowboy tell stories at the library and he actually brought in his real horse wearing a diaper! My children were fascinated! 
     So, given these experiences over the years with my kids, I polled my girls to find out what they love and remember about the library:

Alicia: I am starting with Alicia because she actually worked in the Provo Library when she was in college.  Here is what she says about the library:  "I loved working at the library. It was the best job!
 I love when libraries are partnered with Libby and I can check out audio books from home
I also enjoy aimlessly wandering the aisles and finding books I've never heard of, to read." 
    If you haven't heard of Libby, it is a free app that lets you check out audio books onto your phone or mobile device for free! Here is the link to find out about it.
     Alicia also says it is awesome to be able to check out movies from the library.  We used to do that a lot in the summer when my kids were young.  It was a great way to stay indoors and be cool in our hot AZ summers! Alicia remembers, "​That’s how I watched the Ramona movies!"

Madalynn uses the library a lot! She says, "I like checking out movies and CDs from the library. And how you can get museum and zoo passes from the library. And the seed library. And the classes and activities they have for kids. Libraries are just a great resource for low budget families to experience things."  She continues with the CDs, "When I was in middle school I would go choose CDs I thought had cool covers and that was how I discovered music."  (She means how she found her taste in music.  Of course she knew there was music, ha ha.)
     I was amazed about the seed library when Madalynn told me about it.  I am excited to check that out! I just learned that our library (Cholla Branch)  has a craft night that is totally free on Tuesday Nights! There are e-classes offered and special speakers. 
     The culture passes Maddy spoke of are an awesome way to get free passes to museums and other attractions around the city.  You have to be quick though, because they go fast! 

Lindsey says, "I like library nooks where you can sit and read. It is so quiet and peaceful." About the movies that you can check out she says, " That's how I watched a lot of movies in high school!  I think that's how we saw the BBC Chronicals of Narnia when we were kids." Now that she is a mom, she is looking forward to the story times for kids and looking into the free classes that are offered.  Speaking of being a mom, one great class being offered at our library branch is a Kindergarten Bootcamp class for children starting school in the fall of 2018! It is just one hour a week for 7 weeks, it is totally free, including supplies!  It is amazing to see the number of free classes that are available online from the library! Here are the ones available from Phoenix! 
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     So, if you haven't checked out your local library lately, now is a great time to do it!  Don't forget the books! I've listed favorites that I want to read this year on this post, and the library is a great place to find them. (Then, if you love them you can buy them! The only thing I don't love about the library is that you have to give back the books that you fall in love with.)  Summer reading programs will be starting soon! The City of Phoenix is even doing a program that encourages everyone in the city to read a book together this summer! They are taking votes on which book it will be now! They are calling it, One Book, One Phoenix. If you live in Phoenix, go and vote now.  I voted for Albuquerque by Rodolfo Anaya.  Which one would you vote for? 
​      We will leave you with a quote from Albert Einstein. 
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