Fred Stays With Me! Written by Nancy Coffelt. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2007. 32 pages. A great story about a girl's best friend and constant companion who gets into trouble at each of her parents' homes where she splits her time. Fortunately the girl is as loyal as her dog and stands by him as they resolve the conflict with her parents through training and better housekeeping. Fiction picture book. Interest level: Grades PreK-2.

Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog. By Pamela S. Turner. Houghton Mifflin, 2004. 32 pages. Tells the true story of the dog who walked with his master to and from a Tokyo train station every day and then continued to wait there for his guardian after he died. ASPCA Henry Bergh Companion Animals Honor. Nonfiction picture book. Interest level: Grades 1-4.

Hachiko Waits. By Lesléa Newman. H. Holt, 2004. 96 pages. Based on the true story, Hachi the loyal dog waits at the train station every day with hopes of seeing his beloved guardian come off the train like he had every day before his death. ASPCA Henry Bergh Companion Animals Honor. Fiction. Interest level: Gr. 3-6.

The Monster Who Ate my Peas. Written by Danny Schnitzlein and illustrated by Matt Faulkner. Peachtree Publishers, 2001. 32 pages. A story in rhyme that most children can relate to. A monster appears when a boy is told he must eat his peas. The monster eats the peas in exchange for the boy's soccer ball and then his bicycle. But the boy refuses to give up his beloved pup and in doing so discovers that peas aren't so bad after all. Fiction picture book. Interest level: Gr. 1-4.

Shep: Our Most Loyal Dog. written by Sneed B. Collard III. Illustrated by Joanna Yardley. Sleeping Bear Press, 2006. 32 pages. This well researched book recounts the story of the nationally known and beloved Depression era shepherd "Shep" who faithfully waited for his guardian at the train station where his body was shipped away after his death. Nonfiction Picture book. Interest level: Grades 3-6.

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"Humanity advances only as it becomes more humane. The highest known form of friendship is that of a dog to his master. You are in luck if you can find one man or one woman on earth who has that kind of affection for you and fidelity to you." ~ Dr. Frank Crane

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