Before You Were Mine – a Picture Book Review
Before You Were Mine is a picture book about a shelter pet.
This book has a simplistic cover, and you might wonder what the book will be about.
The book is beautifully constructed with a hardcover, which has a removable dust cover with author and illustrator bios on the back flap.
Inside, the end papers are a bright burnt orange.
There are many two-page spreads with large, colorful, and simple illustrations, making Before You Were Mine a great book to read in a classroom or a library full of kids.
The story is about a young boy imagining what life was like for his shelter dog before he adopted him.
The boy questions the dog, although the dog can’t answer, as to whether he had good a good life, or a bad life.
The boy wonders why the dog was even in a shelter waiting to be adopted.
Adults can also relate to the boy’s questions.
I know I had many of these same thoughts when I adopted my latest shelter cat.
This heartwarming story shows how adopting a shelter animal can bring happiness and comfort to a pet, as well as the new owner.
The story has a lovable and touching twist at the end when the boy finds an answer to all his questions.
Additionally, both the author and illustrator’s bios and descriptions of their shelter dogs on the back flap shows the reader that they both “talk the talk and walk the walk”.
I highly recommend Before You Were Mine.
Title: Before You Were Mine
Author: Maribeth Boelts
Illustrator: David M. Walker
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (September 20, 2007)
ISBN-10: 039924526X
ISBN-13: 978-0399245268
Available at amazon.com
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Thank you for the review. This sounds like a wonderful book. I know i have many questions about my furry babies lives before they came to me. If only they had words…
Hey, Laura,
Thanks for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed the review. I’ll be posting a new one each month, so I hope you’ll visit here frequently.