Coming November 7th, 2023 from WonderBeagMurph Press
About the Author: “Children’s author WonderBeagMurph is a 5 year old Beagle living his best life in Colorado. Murph whispers stories to his faithful companion, who writes them down because Beagles are not so very good at holding a pencil. Murph writes children’s books focused on acceptance, love, value, and responsibility featuring pets and children with varied abilities, backgrounds, and personalities so we might all learn to love our differences. When we learn to love, we learn to live our best lives – just like Murph!” (Bio from publisher’s website).
Find WonderBeagMurph on the following platforms:
Molly the Beagle’s family no longer cares for her, and Molly cannot understand their cruelty and neglect. One day, fed up with this treatment, Molly decides to escape. In the process, one of her vicious owners breaks her leg. On the run with this injury, Molly faces a variety of hardships. Feeling unwanted and scared, Molly begins to lose hope in ever finding a caring home until she encounters a kind woman who works at the local animal shelter. While Molly enjoys the comforts of the animal shelter, she wants a permanent home. When Mandy, a blind young girl, comes into the shelter, the two form a wonderful bond, and Mandy takes Molly to a loving forever home.
There were moments in this story that were incredibly moving, and it was impossible not to root for Molly to find a caring family. The immersive illustrations captured the mood of the story and effectively conveyed Molly’s emotions throughout. While Molly’s journey is full of tribulations, her ultimate destination makes this hardship worthwhile. Through Molly’s tale of courage and her quest for acceptance, young readers are taught an important lesson: being different and perhaps feeling “broken” do not detract from one’s worth but often enhance it. The book also weaves in a message to young readers about how to kindly care for a pet. The end of the story even includes a “Time to Think” section that lets readers reflect on Molly’s treatment throughout the book, reinforcing the importance of kind and respectful care of animals. While I loved the core messages of this story, there were moments where they felt very abrupt. The book starts suddenly with the poor treatment of Molly, and readers are given very little background on the family and why they are acting in such a cruel way. Additionally, the book only briefly mentions the removal of Molly’s leg while also trying to make the reader regard Molly’s missing leg as a crucial component of her character and self-perception towards the end. I wish there had been some more elaboration on these key pieces of Molly’s character arc and less emphasis placed on smaller details, like the pretzel she eats or the descriptions of the restaurants she visits. However, even without these adjustments, the key themes of the book shine through and offer important lessons for readers of any age.
Molly’s Miracle: A Chosen Dog, Not a Broken Dog releases on November 7th, 2023.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank Books Forward & WonderBeagMurph Press for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Sam Parker, Pine Reads Review Writer