It's November, 1847 and Charles Ellet, Jr. has been hired to build a bridge across Niagara Falls. To promote this project, he held a contest in January ... a kite-flying contest, to be exact, offering a cash reward to the first boy to anchor a string between Canada and the U.S. (It was secured on January 31, 1848). Read all about the winner in The Kite That Bridged Two Nations: Homan Walsh and the First Niagara Suspension Bridge, by Alexis O'Neill, illustrated by Terry Widener.

Unlikely Loves: 43 Heartwarming True Stories from the Animal Kingdom, by Jennifer S. Holland came as a gift from Riding Reader. A nice collection of tales about animals you'd never expect to be friends ... a turkey and a deer, or a dolphin and a cat. As the title says, these really are heartwarming! A nice contrast to some of the stories on the news.

There are many programs nowadays that partner prisoners with dogs in training for guide dogs and service dogs. Prison Puppies (part of the Dog Heroes series) by Meish Goldish is a children's book, but still a very nice look at one of those programs.

Another book from Riding Reader proved to be one of those hard to put down books. Scent of the Missing: Love & Partnership with a Search-and-Rescue Dog, by Susannah Charleson is the story of how the author selected and trained Puzzle, her SAR dog. The training (for both human and canine) is intense, the bond that is created is strong. SAR folks (with and without dogs) are amazing. So was this book.

Reading Hermit With Dog