Ten True Animal Rescues

Ten True Animal Rescues
By: Jeanne Betancourt
Nonfiction

This is an interesting book for animal lovers. It is filled with stories of how different types of animals either saved the lives of their owners or even complete strangers. Different stories include; a hamster that warns a family about a house fire, a dog who rescues a young girl buried in the snow, a women saved from a shark and from drowning in the ocean, a diabetic boy saved by his own puppy, a boy who gets hurt by jumping over a rail into a gorilla pit is held by a gorilla, a suffocating baby is saved by a meowing cat, a boy is rescued by a dog a woman from the ice covered lake, a boy is saved by a cow from a mean bull, a dog that risks his own life to save a family and a pony who swam through the ocean to save two men on a sinking boat. These stories are absolutely amazing to read! It's hard to put into words just how astonishing these events are. Basically, you have to read them for yourself to understand.

To implement this book in the classroom you could have your students write stories about how their own pets have changed or affected their lives in some way. I think it is important that students see just how special animals can be in times of need, even if it's not something as huge as saving a life. For students they may not have pets, ask them to write about what they think having a pet could do for them or how it could change their lives for the better. This lesson could be extended into learning about how different animals have specific personalities or abilities. You could also have a discussion with your class about the different ways animals help humans during their every day lives. (ex: a dog that helps the blind)