Harley was a miniature dachshund who loved to annoy cats until he unexpectedly found a small egg.
Harley was a miniature dachshund who loved to annoy cats until he unexpectedly found a small egg. As Harley’s mother had taught him well, he knew that the egg contained a living being. He knew that whatever was in the egg was now an orphan and that it would need warmth and protection so it could be born. Harley also knew that the life inside the egg would need care after it hatched. Will Harley be able to save the egg? This is a sweet story about love, respecting life, and taking on responsibility.
Harley and the Egg can be used to teach children that with all of God's creatures, life starts before it appears outside of the egg or mother. It teaches the importance of taking care of all God's creatures even before they are born. Malinda Mitchell has been writing stories for children much of her life. Malinda is married to her husband Alton, has five children and eight grandchildren. She has been writing fiction for all ages for more than forty years. This will be the eighth book that Tex Ware has published for Malinda.
Corey Colombin, is a columnist, published author, and illustrator. She lives with her busy family in the mountains of Colorado. This will be the second book she has illustrated for Tex Ware.
Ages 3-7
Excerpt
Harley and the Egg can be used to teach children that with all of God's creatures, life starts before it appears outside of the egg or mother. It teaches the importance of taking care of all God's creatures even before they are born.
Professional Reviews
Harley and the Egg
Rating: 4.0 stars
Reviewed by Lee Ashford for Readers' Favorite
“Harley and the Egg” by Malinda Mitchell is an educational tale about a red dachshund puppy named Harley, and his response to discovering an egg in the yard. Harley asked his mother if he could keep the egg, incubate it, and raise whatever hatched from it. She cautioned him about the commitment he would be undertaking and then approved his request. They devised a way to carry the egg to their doghouse, where Harley proceeded to keep it warm until it eventually hatched into a sparrow. Harley raised, fed, and loved the sparrow as it grew, until one day his mother told him the sparrow was ready to fly away. She told Harley that even though it might make him sad to let his sparrow fly away, if he really loved it, he would let it go, and that was exactly what he did. Mitchell has crafted a fun and entertaining way to teach children respect for all living things.
This tale serves a couple purposes: first, it attempts to teach children to have respect for all forms of life; second, it attempts to teach them that love involves making sometimes painful sacrifices. The illustrations are colorful caricatures of the story’s characters, and are drawn in a manner very appropriate for young children’s books. The concept of sacrificial love may be a bit mature for very young children – a lot of adults have problems grasping the concept. But the respect for life, primarily animals, is a good lesson for even the youngest children to begin learning. This story is not “preachy” or anti-anything, just a good, reasonable tale of respect.
Good mix of attention-holding pictures and text. I'm constantly amazed at how many so-called "children's" books consist of page after page of text, with no illustrations for the child to focus on. This book admirably avoids that flaw. “Harley and the Egg” is a cute story, well-illustrated, and age appropriate. I recommend it as a suitable addition to your young child’s library.
An inspirational book about a unique world where trees hold intrinsic knowledge and powerful forces of energy. The group of students called the Planeteers demonstrate character building and not judge people base on their appearance, but judge them on
