I read the original version of this book back in 2016. My original review is below. I love that the author is turning some of her best sellers into coloring books for a newer generation. The story is the same and worth telling, but children can now color Peter and the cast of characters as they learn about what it means to be whiney. Some adults could learn this lesson too! Still 5 stars! ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
July is Disability Pride Month, which is celebrating its 32nd year after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed on July 26, 1990, to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities.
This is the true story of Dr. Ludwig Guttman. He story unfolds as a young Jewish man who has dreams of becoming a doctor. His hopes are quickly but not permanently dashed when WWII breaks out and the Nazi's come to power. Fortunately, though, he is sent to research to help soldiers who have been crippled.
The story finds him working with mostly men who have no chance of thriving in life or even past much living. His research revealed how bacteria affected the soldiers. Eventually, he was given his own ward and Dr. Ludwig began doing innovative things like turning a patient over, having them sit up, and even "walking" with the use of bar handles.
Eventually the doctor discovered that his patients were able to play games in their wheelchairs. He encouraged this behavior, much to the hospitals chagrin, which eventually lead to the Paralympic games that still happens world-wide to this day.
I am completely impressed in how Dr. Ludwig, in spite of adversity, continued to provide care and concern for patients that originally had no chance of survival. Without his tenacity, many things that people with spinal cord injuries do today would not be available.
This book includes real photos of the games and Doctor Ludwig himself. It is inspiring and I would certainly recommend it to be put in school and home libraries.
5 stars!
Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book by the publisher to facilitate a review. The views here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle, Reading Authors Network
Hello everyone. Today I am welcoming a guest blogger to my page to discuss the book, Whiskers In Trouble, a cozy mystery by Laura Bell. She is interviewing the author on her latest book.
What inspired you to write this book?
My mom encouraged me to write a cozy mystery. We love to watch mysteries and Dateline and can always “solve” the mystery before it’s revealed. We read a lot of cozy mysteries and my mom, Donna, has always believed I could write one. So we worked on a plot and the story came to life from there. She has been instrumental in helping me work out clues and plots and twists.
How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
My mom, Donna, was a huge inspiration behind the idea for the book. We had brainstormed several ideas and for some reason a veterinarian with cats that helped find clues seemed to stick with us. The combination of a vet and cats made sense. From there the idea of the murder and what the clues were and how the cats helped was born. The idea went through many variations but I think I told the best version in the end.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
What started off as a fun little hobby with my mom soon turned into a goal to realize a childhood dream. I enjoyed trying to figure out a mystery and take readers on an adventure with my characters and how messy life can be. I loved trying to come up with how Fiona and Wilson–the cats in the story–would react to humans and how they could in their way assist the humans in solving the case. It was a lot of fun!
What is your favorite part of this book and why?
One of my favorite parts of this book was writing about Olivia’s dad and his nemesis the groundhog. I drew inspiration from real life with my own father and a pesky groundhog he dealt with for a time. It was fun adding a little bit of him into the story.
Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.
I feel it’s a must read book if you’re someone who just enjoys a good, lighthearted read for a murder mystery without the gore and the quirky fun of animals talking to each other and trying to assist their humans to solve a crime.
Is there an writer which brain you would love to pick for advice? Who would that be and why?
I have always been a fan of horror movies and books. I would love to spend an afternoon with Stephen King and pick his brain about how he keeps his characters interesting and doesn’t get lost in the details of the plot.
