Lessons from Shadow: My Life Lessons for Boys and Girls by Shadow Bregman

What a wonderful book for children. Not only is it cleverly written by a worldly black Labrador called Shadow, of course kindly penned by his human daddy Walter Bregman, but it contains some important life lessons for children to learn, and other dogs of course as long as their mummies and daddies read it to them. Because you see, as I already know, but many people don’t, dogs to understand us, and talk to us too!

When Shadow’s mummy and daddy decided to take him home from the rescue centre Shadow had already learnt a lot of good, and bad things. Sensibly they took their other dog Betsy to say hello to shadow before they made a final decision, but they didn’t need to worry, they quickly became friends. Betsy did like to be the boss though, and could be a bit of a bully some times, but the story behind that is in one of the lessons.

Shadow’s lessons cover many subjects. In the first one, Shadow admits to being very greedy, (like most dogs) and tells of the mischief which can be caused if the pantry door isn’t closed, especially if dogs pinch the chocolate!

As we settle down to enjoy the tales Shadow tells, it is fun to look at life through his eyes, taking a dogs eye view of life and situations. For instance, escaping is fun, the bigger the fence the better, until you get to the other side, and discover you want to go home! Then things can be pretty scary!

Family life is varied and sometimes sad, and Shadow explains in his own sensitive, wise way, how he and his daddy coped with sad times in their lives, and the loneliness which affected them after.

Of course the world is sometimes confusing for a dog. In the chapter called lessons, we discover some of the things which we, as humans, don’t really understand about dog communication, and some of the things which puzzle them. Shadows summing up of this lesson is priceless, but you will have to read the book to find out what it is.

If you love dogs, whether you are young or old, you will find this book enchanting. For those of us who love our dogs, it is affirmation that they do understand us, and can teach us so much. The chapters in this book cover very important issues for children, and guide them sensitively in the right direction, to enable them to deal with various situations.

I loved this book! Shadow is a very wise dog and I hope he and his daddy write some more so I can enjoy learning more about their lives, and the important lessons they have to share.