A Hero's Hero

For children (and adults) of the fifties and sixties some heroes of the television screen performed with supreme intelligence.  They never spoke a single word but there was never any doubt as to their capabilities to tell a memorable story.  From week to week and year after year, their audiences grew.

For five years (1954-1959) The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin and for nineteen seasons (1954-1973) Lassie highlighted the exploits of dedicated and fearless canine actors.  Perhaps these two spirited dog characters were following in the paw-steps of a previous popular star.  Strongheart: Wonder Dog Of The Silver Screen (Schwartz & Wade, February 6, 2018) written by Candace Fleming with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Eric Rohmann recounts the very real rise to fame of a singular German shepherd.

THE PUPPY
On a farm between the Bavarian Alps and the city of Berlin, a carefree puppy named Etzel played in a sun-washed barnyard.
He chased the chickens, barking in delight at their squawks and flaps.
He tipped over his water bowl, splashing and sliding in sloppy-fun mud.
And he gulped down the last of his kibble, licking the bowl to shiny emptiness.

One day, suddenly without warning, Etzel is removed from the wonderful life he knows, placed in a dark bag and shuttled to a new life.  He is treated with cruelty, cruelty designed to shape him into a police dog.  He works on command governed by a fierce fear.

Unbeknownst to him on the other side of the ocean, a film director, Larry Trimble, and his screenwriter, Jane Murfin, have a plan.  They are going to search for a new star, a dog star.  Throughout the United States no dog appeals to Larry, neither did any in England, France, Italy but when he goes to Berlin, the police station in Berlin, everything changes.  The crash of broken glass, a lunge by muscle and fur and moments when time stands still reveal the beginning of a new friendship.

The journey home to the United States is one of constant patience by a human and unwavering wariness by his canine companion.  Through a conversation one day between Larry and Jane, Etzel receives his new name and his first lesson in learning to play, again.  A red rubber ball is his constant toy.  What Larry and Jane come to realize is Strongheart seems to understand everything they say.

Every single soul on the set of his first film is stunned by his abilities.  The Silent Call is an enormous success.  (This is in 1921 and movies are in black and white and silent.)  There are endorsements, especially for a dog food renamed Strongheart, publicity tours and more films.  Strongheart distinguishes himself unexpectedly on several occasions when his police dog training moves him to act justly.  Even when it seems as if the tide has turned against this amazing creature, the truth sets him free in a dramatic conclusion.


Using thirty-one chapters in 233 pages author Candace Fleming weaves facts from her research into this marvelous middle-grade novel.  The chapters, captivating in their detailed descriptions and realistic conversations, propel readers forward flawlessly.  The length and placement of the chapters add to the ever-growing tension, adventure and romance (canine and human).  Here are several passages.

The place did not look hopeful.  It squatted on a street corner, gray and tomblike.  Iron bars covered the windows.  Barbed wire coiled across the top of brick walls.  Surely he wouldn't find his star here.  He turned away.
From inside the grim fortress came the muffled sound of barking.
Larry turned back.  He shrugged.  "Aw, what the heck?  I'm here, aren't I?"
He pushed open the gate.
"Get out of the yard!" yelled a voice.
There came a bark like a clap of thunder, a crash and a splinter of glass.
GRRRRRR!
Etzel leaped through the broken window and tore across the yard.  Fur on end, teeth flashing, the dog sprang for Larry's throat.
"Stop!" Larry's voice sounded more pleading that commanding.
Etzel pulled back mid-lunge.  Alert and suspicious, his muscles still tense, he stood unmoving.
So did Larry.
Dog and man stared at each other.


Strongheart let the duck drop from his mouth.  
He took a stumbling step forward.  Stopped.  He took another step forward.  Stopped.
"There's no way to save them," Larry went on.  "You've lost everything that matters to you . . .everything in the world."
Strongheart turned his head and gazed into the distance.  He seemed to be looking into the years ahead without his family.
Thik-thik-thik-thik
"That's it," said Larry.  "That's terrific, boy.  Hold it  . . ."
A memory came to Strongheart:  Rough hands were ripping him from his family.  Stuffing him into a bag.
Strongheart fell to the ground.  Howling, he covered his face with his paw.
"That's impossible!" cried Ed Brady.
"Dogs can't do that!" exclaimed Pete.
"Holy mackerel!" Jane gasped.  "He looks like he's crying."
For several long moments, the dog lay there, sides heaving.  Finally, he lifted his head and looked deep into the camera with an anguished expression.  Then, he dropped his head back to his forepaws.  Life, his actions seemed to say, had no meaning for him anymore.
Silence---broken only by the camera's grinding and the crew's sniffling---fell over the set.
Thik-thik-thik-thik


Even without the text on the front of the dust jacket, the portrait of Strongheart depicts strength and compassion.  This dog is poised for whatever is about to happen.  Within seconds he could turn and stare into your eyes or leap forward to chase or play.  To the left, on the back of the jacket, a faded scene from one of the films is the canvas for explanatory text and a portion of a starred review from a professional journal.  On the book case everything is removed except for Strongheart and the mountainous landscape.  The endpapers are covered in black.

Rendered in oil paint by Eric Rohmann the illustrations throughout this title, in black and white, are highly animated presenting a range of emotions.  There is heartbreak, injustice, humor, play, courage and genius (the dog's).  On numerous occasions the illustrations are without words.  They vary in size depending on the narrative.

The point of view in the pictures also supplies readers with a more participatory sense.  We are not only observers but also with Strongheart.  It's been almost ninety years since this beautiful animal died, but through the artwork of Eric Rohmann he comes back to life.

One of my many, many favorite paintings is on a single page.  It is opposite the portion of final text quoted.  Half of the page is the gray background.  On the right half of the page we zoom close to Strongheart, only seeing a portion of his alert right ear, wide, soulful right eye and the surrounding fur.  This is one powerful picture.


This title, Strongheart: Wonder Dog Of The Silver Screen written by Candace Fleming with illustrations by Eric Rohmann, was released nearly one year ago, but its value is lasting.  It is one of those books whose appeal will endure for generations because of the masterful storytelling in words and artwork.  It is a marvelous example of historical fiction that should find a place on the bookshelves of your personal and professional collections.  A lengthy The Truth Behind This Tale, actual photographs, a bibliography and notes conclude this book.  You could pair this title with Emily Arnold McCully's picture book, Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog.

To learn more about Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  At the publisher's website you can read an excerpt and look inside the book.  Both Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann have video interviews at Reading Rockets.  Candace Fleming maintains accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  This is a A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018 and A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018.

For Love Of A Dog #5

Paws down, there is no equal to dogs in playing the game of hide and seek.  Many a walk was taken in the woods with my canine companion scampering ahead taking in all Mother Nature had to offer. Hiding behind a tree, I would wait for her to notice my absence.  Not getting too far ahead she would suddenly stop, turn around and run back.

In the house I would tuck myself in nooks and crannies, hardly daring to breathe.  It was amazing to watch her seek me out in every possible spot as if going through a check list in her mind.  Sometimes I would stealthily move from position to position.  She would stop still as a statue, smelling and listening.  If I let out the merest squeak, she would find me in seconds.

Search-and-rescue dogs hone their natural smelling abilities to locate someone missing or in need of help.  Versatile and much loved author, Kate Messner (Over and Under the Snow, Capture the Flag, Wake Up Missing, Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets, Hide and Seek and Manhunt, All The Answers, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, How To Read A Story, Tree of Wonder: The Many Marvelous Lives of a Rain Forest Tree) began a new series with the release of Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Ranger in Time) (Scholastic Press, January 6, 2015) with illustrations by Kelley McMorris.  It was followed on June 30, 2015 with the second book in the new series, Danger in Ancient Rome (Ranger in Time) (Scholastic Press) with illustrations by Kelley McMorris.  Ranger, a Golden retriever, has been specifically trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but his proclivity for chasing squirrels cost him certification.

Sam Abbott lugged another sack of bacon to the wagon and sat down to wipe his forehead.

Sam, his parents, older sister Lizzie, younger sister Amelia and baby brother Isaac have gathered with others in the city of Independence, Missouri.  They have their sights set on reaching the Oregon Territory before the big snows come.  Challenges will besiege the twenty wagons in their group every step of the way.  Before Sam and his father have loaded all the supplies, trouble descends.  Three-year-old Amelia has disappeared!

In present day, Ranger, squirrel chaser champion, is digging deep in the garden in search of bones when he detects another smell, a metallic scent.  He pulls out a box with a leather handle.  On the side written in symbols is First Aid.  Meaning to take the box to his boy, Luke, for inspection Ranger is startled by vibrations, heat and a blinding light.  He is no longer in his back yard but on a dusty crowded street in Independence, Missouri circa 1850.

Words and then a smell connect to his training making him the hero of the day when he locates and guards Amelia. The promise of bacon binds him to the Abbott family as they go west.  Buffalo stampedes, sickness and raging rivers are a few of the hardships faced and endured.  After each feat of heroism as the days and weeks pass, Ranger looks for Luke in the morning and evening hoping he will take him home.  Would his job ever be finished?

Over the sound of glad voices, Ranger hears another sound.  It's coming from the back of the covered wagon.  Humming?  Loud humming?


Marcus held his sword high in the hot Roman sun.

Marcus was sold in slavery to pay off debts after his parents were killed in one of the frequent fires in Rome five years ago.  Villius, his owner, manages the Ludus Magnus gladiator school near the Colosseum.  For Marcus, becoming a gladiator holds the key to a door called freedom.

When Ranger is deciding whether to chase a squirrel or a soccer ball gone wild, a sound signaling a call for help reaches his ears.  When Dad opens the door, he goes immediately to his bed where his treasures are hidden in the folds of fabric.  It's the box.  It's humming again.

Standing in one of the many tunnels beneath the Colosseum, Marcus, a new recruit Quintus and Ranger are trying to navigate a way back to the training barracks.  By day's end death will seem eminent for more the one, more than once.  It like the scent of the big cats used in the wild animal hunts and the smoke from fires, hangs heavy in the air.  With each success Ranger wonders when he will hear the familiar words of

Good boy!  Good job! 

spoken by Luke.  It will not be on this day.

One day blurs into another until Quintus, though barely ready, is called to fight.  He is matched against a deadly opponent with no hope of survival.  As the roars of thousands seated in the Colosseum roll around the fighters, a boy and a dog, events unfold like history has never seen.


As shown in her extensive author's notes, photographs, travels, a glossary, further reading suggestions and sources, Kate Messner writes with a sure knowledge of historical events and the work of search-and-rescue dogs.  Short chapters filled with detailed descriptions and electrifying adventure and action are highly captivating.  Repeatedly one episode flows flawlessly from one chapter to the next.

Intimate elements held in common by people across the barriers of time and place bind readers to the characters.  Well-executed dialogue brings readers directly into the story as if we are standing with the participants.  Here are some sample passages from both books.

Sam stood up and sighed.  He shoved a hand into his pocket and felt the folded-up friendship quilt squares his cousins had made.  They hadn't finished in time to include them in the big quilt that Aunt Cecelia put together for their family, but they gave them to Sam anyway.  He was glad.  He liked having three small squares of home in his pocket.

Sam watched from the wagon.  His heart thumped along with all those pounding hooves in the dirt.  Every time one of the men's guns exploded, Sam's breath caught in his throat.

Ranger ran to Sam and lifted his nose.  He could smell Pa's scent in the air, along with everyone else and the horses and cattle.  He smelled sage and bacon grease from breakfast and rain from last night.  And above it all, he sensed cold, raw fear.

Marcus hurried across the arena toward the row of barracks.  The sun had barely risen, but the day was already hot and muggy.  The sharp smell of smoke filled the air.  

Ranger took a step closer to the lion and barked.  He growled deep in his throat and pulled his lips back to show the big cat his teeth.  At home, that made Ruggles the neighbor cat run under the porch.
But this was not home.  There was no porch.  Only a dead-end passageway with hard stone walls.
And this cat was not afraid.

Marcus held his breath. (end chapter)
The emperor didn't move. (beginning chapter)

His eyes looked tired, but they crinkled at the corners when he smiled.
"But today, you and your dog gave them the one thing they love more than blood." The servant looked up at the crowd of Romans, still on their feet cheering.  "You gave them a story.  One they will tell for a long time to come."

The black and white interior illustrations and full color dust jackets rendered by Kelly McMorris extend the events and heighten the sense of tension.  Altered perspective and historically accurate surroundings give readers a sense of place and time drawing us completely into the narrative.  Facial features on the characters supply a wide range of emotion.  Her portrayal of Ranger will have you wanting to reach into the pages to give him a hug and words of praise.  


The first two titles in the Ranger in Time series, Rescue on the Oregon Trail and Danger in Ancient Rome written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Kelley McMorris will engage a wide spectrum of readers from beginning to end.  History and the work of a search-and-rescue dog are blended together to create true page-turners for individual readers and engaging read aloud stories for a group. You'll want to add these to your personal and professional book shelves.  The third title, Long Road to Freedom, is set to release at the end of 2015.

For further information about Kate Messner and Kelley McMorris please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  This link will take you to the publisher's website for a Classroom Guide.