On The Adventures of Seamus the SheltieFun, friendly, and humorous animals are used to create a safe, non-threatening setting for common problems faced by children. A Sheltie (Seamus) is the main character who often serves as a teacher for young puppies as he thinks about the trouble his many adventures land him in.
In one story, a puppy is afraid of two new dogs in the neighborhood because they are different from him. One dog is large and dark, the other is small and speaks with an accent. When they all meet up, Seamus explains to the pup that it’s because they’re different that they can have wonderful new stories to tell about their lives, and that they can all be new friends.
As each dog talks about his life, the pup and Seamus begin to wish they were like the other dogs and could go hunting like the retriever, or live in Mexico with all the wonderful music and food like the chihuahua. Seamus is a bit surprised when the new dogs tell him that they wish they were just like him! Intelligent, able to herd sheep, and had long fur to keep them warm in the winter. Seamus thinks about this for a while and finally says with a smile that everyone is good at some things, just different things, and that the best you can be is “just you!”
One of the many things they do The Adventures of Seamus the Sheltie Different from most children’s books is the included Parent Discussion Guide. Here the parent is guided through setting the scene and a discussion with the child about the story.
In this particular story, some of the suggested questions are; Why do you think the puppy was afraid of the new dogs? Have you ever felt like the puppy when you meet someone different from you? What do you think Seamus would tell you about that? Suggested responses are also always included for parents to use if the child requires additional training. Similar questions are present in this story for self-esteem issues. Other stories deal with obedience to parents, fear of doctors, storms, taking care of little things, losing a friend, and other common childhood problems and fears.
All stories are relatively short and full of humor and lovable characters and illustrations designed to attract and hold a child’s interest and attention. To date, the reception by parents and teachers has been excellent and very gratifying.
