Jake the Growling Dog - by Samantha Shannon (Paperback)

About the Book

Jake's voice has a different sound.Other critters won't come around.But he is sweet and only wants to play. Will others start to see him that way?Follow Jake, a misunderstood dog as he tries to make friends despite his differences.

Book Synopsis

Jake's voice has a different sound.
Other critters won't come around.
But he is sweet and only wants to play.
Will others start to see him that way?
Follow Jake, a sweet, kind, and misunderstood dog as he tries to make friends despite his differences.
Meet forest critters of all kinds while getting to know Jake. Jake loves to swim, hike, and play, but when he realizes he's lonely a true friend comes to his aid. Soon others find friendship and understanding filling this tale with heart and hope.
Interactive, Colorful, and Fun!Follow along with Jake's adorable story while enjoying beautiful interactive illustrations. Each spread includes a seek and find and counting activity for the four Kindness Critters, colors to spot and learn, and cute characters to make them giggle.
Looking for books about Diversity & Friendship?
Jake the Growling Dog is a fun-loving tale about kindness, acceptance, friendship, and diversity.
Author and licensed school counselor, Samantha Shannon, and Illustrator and art educator, Kerrie Joyce, spotlight Jake, who is different from the other dogs and critters. With a little help and understanding, the others learn to love Jake despite his differences. This timely story is packed with tons of fun, while also educating our little ones about friendship and how to be kind to others.
Includes a loving-kindness and mindfulness activity for families, counselors, and schools
Along with Jake's story, this picture book also includes a loving-kindness activity to promote character education, mindfulness, and gratitude. The activity is for families, schools, and counselors to reduce stress and bring families closer together while encouraging acts of kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude.
A Positive Story to Promote Empathy
Jake's story encourages children to be kind, appreciate nature, find the good in all things with the power of gratitude, and to accept others who are different from them in a subtle, sweet, and impactful way.
Ages and Grades
While many kids ages 6-8 will be able to read this story on their own or with assistance, parents and grandparents will enjoy reading the story to baby, making it the perfect baby shower gift. Pre-teens to adults will also appreciate the illustrations, story, and the kindness activity to do as a family or in schools and counseling offices.
The Perfect Gift
Need a gift for a baby shower or birthday party? Jake the Growling Dog is the perfect gift for the mother-to-be, a child's birthday party, holiday's, and graduations. Plus, the ebook is FREE when you buy a print version.

Social-Emotional Learning Resource for Elementary School & Family Counselors, Social Workers, Elementary Teachers, and Families

Jake's gentle story about kindness, friendship, and accepting others has been integrated into multiple school counseling programs in districts across the United States.

Review Quotes

Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite

We're all different. We have different ways to laugh, to smile, to cry, to speak, but that's part of what makes us all so uniquely special. Jake is a fun-loving dog, caramel-colored with "a chocolate stripe down his face" (I love that description). He loves to run and play and do all the things an active young dog loves to do. The only thing is that Jake growls. It doesn't mean he's an angry, mean dog. He growls because he's happy and excited. He didn't realize that his growling scared everyone away. When he realized the problem, all he wanted to do was to fix it: "Why doesn't anyone understand me?/ Why can't they see I'm not actually mean?" It would appear that everyone was jumping to the conclusion that when a dog growled he was being mean and scary, when in fact Jake was full of love and kindness and fun.

Samantha Shannon's picture book story, Jake the Growling Dog: A Children's Book about the Power of Kindness, Celebrating Diversity and Friendship, is a fun book to read and it's full of suggestions to help young readers think about how they judge others. Written in rhyming verse and accompanied by exciting and colorful illustrations, the plot develops as Jake introduces himself and how much fun he's having until it's pointed out that his growling is scaring everyone away. Jake then has to analyze the situation and find a way to make others accept him as he is, just like he accepts everyone else in spite of their differences. At the end of the book is an interactive section that outlines how young people can be loving and kind, just like Jake. There's even an exercise called, Jake's Loving-Kindness Activity. A fun read for the whole family and a great way to look at the world and others with loving-kindness - every day.