During World War I, while stationed overseas in France with the United States Army, Private James Donovan literally stumbles upon a small dog cowering on the streets of Paris. Named Rags for his disheveled appearance, the little stray quickly finds a home with Donovan and a place in his heart. Although the Army did not have an official canine division, Rags accompanies Donovan to the battlefield, making himself a useful companion delivering messages and providing a much-appreciated morale boost to the soldiers. News about Rags spreads and soon the little dog's battlefield exploits become the stuff of legend. But during a fierce battle near the end of the war, both Rags and Donovan are wounded. Severely injured, Donovan is sent back to the United States. And the little dog with the big heart refuses to leave his best friend's side.

On the streets of Paris one day in July 1918, an American doughboy, Sgt. Jimmy Donovan, befriended a stray dog that he named Rags. No longer an unwanted street mutt, Rags became the mascot to the entire First Division of the American Expeditionary Force and a friend to the American troops who had crossed the Atlantic to fight. Rags was more than a scruffy face and a wagging tail, however. The little terrier mix was with the division at the crucial battle of Soissons, at the Saint-Mihiel offensive, and finally in the blood-and-mud bath of the Meuse-Argonne, during which he and his guardian were wounded. Despite being surrounded by distraction and danger, Rags learned to carry messages through gunfire, locate broken communications wire for the Signal Corps to repair, and alert soldiers to incoming shells, saving the lives of hundreds of American soldiers. Through it all, he brought inspiration to men with little to hope for, especially in the bitter last days of the war. From Stray Dog to World War I Hero covers Rags's entire life story, from the bomb-filled years of war through his secret journey to the United States that began his second life, one just as filled with drama and heartache. In years of peace, Rags served as a reminder to human survivors of what held men together when pushed past their limits by the horrors of battle. Watch a book trailer.

Moving accounts of morale-boosting, life-saving dogs in combat—from ancient armored war dogs to the highly-trained canines of today’s modern military. On Stone Age battlefields through both world wars to present-day Afghanistan, dogs have been the loyal companions and trusted compatriots of soldiers worldwide. Now the exciting, heartwarming and heroic stories of history’s most famous combat dogs are compiled in this incredible collection. CAIRO, SEAL Team Six’s Belgian Malinois, who was choppered in with his top-secret unit on their heroic mission to take out Osama bin Laden. RAGS, a Highland terrier who dodged German shell-fire, shrapnel and poison gas to deliver crucial messages to the Western Front. GANDER, the Canadian Royal Rifles’ Newfoundland, who sacrificed his life by scooping up a grenade and carrying it in his mouth away from his unit. EBONY, the fearless German shepherd who alerted soldiers to an imminent ambush, saving 25 men from sudden death in Vietnam’s unyielding jungle. COOPER, the bomb-sniffing Labrador who relentlessly scoured Iraq for explosives until the fateful day when an IED killed him and his handler.

This practical handbook provides ready-to-use lesson plans that connect picture books to the Common Core standards and are ready to roll out on Monday. Elementary school librarians today are working harder than ever, sometimes serving in two or more libraries. Most have very little time to develop lesson plans, particularly the task of relating them to standards. Elementary school librarians need materials aligned with Common Core standards that are ready to go. Written by working school librarians with 44 years of combined experience, this instructional book is designed for use with primary grade students and offers 37 library lessons that have been tested and refined in the authors' elementary school libraries. The lessons are constructed with follow-up materials and recommended book lists to encourage classroom teacher collaboration and continuation of the lesson. Each lesson is accompanied by reproducible patterns and worksheets and includes complete bibliographic information. Also included in each lesson are a description of the standards applied, skills and objectives addressed, recommended grade levels, lists of props and materials needed, a step-by-step lesson description, and follow-up activities.

Just try typing “are small dogs smart…” into its search bar, and Google jumps in prematurely, finishing your sentence for you with suggestions like: “dumb?” “yappy?” “annoying?” Well, no. No, Google, they’re not. We’ve got to say it: Small dogs deserve more respect. If you’ve ever wondered why people love their small dogs like their kids or wished you had a good comeback for the opinionated big dog snob next door when he insults your ten-pound Pekingese, you’ve picked up the right book. In this big defense of small dogs, Downward Sizing Dog proves it’s just not true that big dogs are better dogs or that small dogs are yappy, snappy, annoying, and probably unhousebroken. Weaving real-life stories with new research on the social intelligence and transformative nature of small dogs, Downward Sizing Dog celebrates the powerful canine beings packaged in perfectly-proportioned small-dog frames. With its investigation into every aspect of small dog life, Downward Sizing Dog shows that small dogs deserve not merely more respect; they deserve a place in our families and on our favorite furniture.

This is the true story from the First World War of Rags, the amazingly clever terrier. It is a tale of devotion, courage under fire, and astonishing canine intelligence. A hungry and homeless stray is stumbled over one dark, foggy night in a Paris alley by a lost soldier A.W.O.L. The noise alerts the Military Police and the soldier, Donovan, quickly talks his way out of a tight spot by claiming he is on a mission to find his division's dog mascot, and as they were leaving next day for the Front he didn't have time to get a pass. As the canny dog co-operatively plays along, Donovan is believed, and the terrier he names 'Rags' becomes mascot to the U.S. First Division. Rags repays Sergeant Donovan's and the Army's kindness many times over. As well as being a devoted friend, he undoubtedly saves many men's lives. His alertness to the sound of approaching shells warns of danger, he delivers vital messages, alerts stretcher bearers to the whereabouts of the wounded, and with his friendly, cheeky nature bucks up many a flagging soldier. While delivering a crucial message at the Argonne Campaign, Rags is nearly killed: his gas mask is ripped off by the force of an explosion and he is badly gassed. He is also blinded in one eye by shrapnel, his ear is mangled, and his paw wounded. However, Rags still gets the message through, collapsing into unconsciousness on arrival. This is Rags', the amazing terrier's story during the war and afterwards as he achieves celebrity war dog hero status.