White Fur Flying

Every time I read a book by Patricia MacLachlan, I am in awe of her gift of telling simple, yet heartfelt stories.

White Fur Flying is no exception.

Zoe’s family rescues dogs.  Not just any dogs, her mother rescues Great Pyrenees, “140 pounds of white fur.”  (To be honest, I’m not a dog lover, and I HATE dog hair, so I cringed at the descriptions of brushing out these dogs on the screened-in porch.  *shivers*)

At any given time, Zoe’s family could have one to five Great Pyrenees at a time – adding quite a bit of chaos to their house.  But they wouldn’t have it any other way.

The story opens as they watch their neighbors moving in – all evidence points to a dog-less, kid-less house.  But then Zoe and her sister see a boy!  They soon discover that this boy doesn’t talk – and they want to find out why.

White Fur Flying isn’t just about rescuing dogs, it’s about rescuing a boy from an emotional trauma, and a couple of adults from their fears.

As with all of MacLachlan books, White Fur Flying is beautifully written emotionally moving – even for a non-dog-lover like me.

Recommended for ages 6-10, depending upon reading ability; children as young as 3 or 4 would enjoy hearing this story read to them.