Milo Finds His Forever Home
Steve & Nancy Devon
Giving Tree Books (2024)
ISBN: 979-8988952619
Reviewed by Diana Coyle for Reader Views (12/2024)
In “Milo Finds His Forever Home” by Steve & Nancy Devon, we are introduced to Milo, a cold, shivering dog found badly injured in a nearby alley. Stephanie, a worker at a local animal rescue center, receives information about a dog who needs help. On this cold, rainy night, she sets out to find him.
When she does, she notices that he can only walk on his front legs and that he can’t move his rear legs at all. On his collar, his name tag says “Milo.” Stephanie knows he needs immediate medical attention. She picks him up and places him on a nice warm and dry blanket in her car and heads to the nearest animal hospital to get him the emergency medical care he needs.
Unfortunately, Milo seems to have been hit by a car recently and the injuries are serious enough that he will lose the use of his rear legs. But Milo is a strong boy, and he’s fitted for a specialized dog wheelchair. Once he is well enough, Stephanie takes him to the animal rescue center she works at to find him a new forever home. What information did Stephanie find out about Milo’s past? Does Milo ever find a new forever home?
This children’s chapter book was one that warms the heart! When first reading how extensive the injuries were to Milo’s rear legs, one hopes that he will be able to overcome the physical loss. When they fit him for a specialized dog wheelchair, readers will be rooting for him to be able to get around again and heal enough so he can find a new forever home. Children will learn that dogs, like people with disabilities are just as special as everyone else and they deserve to be loved too. It was extremely creative that the authors decided to choose this path for Milo and in doing so, made it a lesson for children to accept Milo just as he was, wheelchair and all.
Another thing that stood out in this enjoyable children’s story was the funny antics of each dog living at the animal rescue center. There were characters that every reader will fall in love with and even Milo, being in his wheelchair, did some funny antics right along with his canine pals. The one thing that had this reviewer laughing out loud was the gravy dog biscuit heist the dogs set out to accomplish as a team. Even in having the dogs collaborate to get to the gravy dog biscuits, it shows children that if you work as a team, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.
Written for readers aged 8 to 12 years, “Milo Finds His Forever Home” by Steve & Nancy Devon is one book that will delight all readers, young and old. It has plenty of charm that will make any reader want to see how Milo and all his friends made out in the end. It comes highly recommended!