Maverick and Me

by Katherine Schwarzenegger, Phyllis Harris (Illustrator)

Overview

Dog lover and animal advocate Katherine Schwarzenegger draws from her own experience with fostering and adopting dogs to create a picture book that introduces children to the concept of "adopt, don't shop." In the heartwarming story of Maverick and Me, Maverick is rescued by a kind-hearted stranger after being dumped on the side of the road. The little puppy's luck takes a turn for the better when young Scarlett meets him at an adoption event. Scarlett is so moved by Maverick's story that she and her mother decide to give him the forever home he is looking for. Each year, millions of dogs find themselves in shelters and with animal rescues through no fault of their own. Maverick will help teach children about these dogs and empower even young readers to advocate for shelter pups.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824916770
Publisher:	Hachette Nashville
Publication date:	09/04/2018
Pages:	24
Sales rank:	682,468
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Katherine Schwarzenegger is a New York Times bestselling author, lifestyle blogger, philanthropist, and animal activist. She began fostering puppies in her home in Southern California and soon fell in love with one special little foster dog named Maverick. In Maverick and Me, Katherine draws upon this experience to introduce children to the benefits of dog adoption. Together, Maverick and Katherine spread a message of hope, defying all odds, and the joys of finding forever friends through pet rescue.

Editorial Reviews

08/21/2017
Schwarzenegger—author, ASPCA Ambassador, and eldest daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver—draws from personal experience in a sentimental story based on her own rescue dog. As the story opens, Maverick is alone under a freeway underpass on a rainy day; a woman brings him to a pet supply store, whose manager recommends that she temporarily care for him until an upcoming pet adoption event. The woman’s fostering of Maverick goes unseen as the story jumps ahead to the adoption event, where Maverick is passed over by several visitors before winning the heart of a girl named Scarlett, whose mother agrees to adopt the puppy. Aside from the gloomy opening scene and the light tension surrounding whether Maverick will find a “forever-home,” this is a rosy portrait of pet adoption: like Scarlett, who throws a party in order to tell her friends all about adopting Maverick, Schwarzenegger’s goal seems largely to draw attention to “all the other dogs just like Maverick that needed homes too.” Harris’s smudgy-edged, mixed-media artwork can be overly sketchlike at times, but Scarlett’s adoration for her new pet comes through clearly. Ages 4–7. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2— An abandoned marble-colored pup finds a new home with Scarlett and her mom at a pet adoption event. The child takes on the responsibilities that come with owning a dog and then invites her friends to a backyard party where they can meet her new puppy, Maverick. She tells them the story of his rescue and adoption—and all about the other dogs just like Maverick that need homes, too. Children who cannot adopt a pet can discover other ways of helping homeless animals by observing the pet store manager and a concerned citizen who both help Maverick before he is adopted. VERDICT This duo's story, which is based on a real event, is told with love and compassion. A solid addition to share with prospective pet owners.— Tanya Boudreau, Cold Lake Public Library, Alta.

School Library Journal