Shepherding Sam

Once I had a young student who had moved here from Pakistan ask me to help her find a good book to read. I asked my usual readers advisory questions and she borrowed books every few days for a week but didn't seem very happy. I continued to ask her what she liked about them or didn't and eventually she came down to tell me she wanted to read a “Muslim Junie B. Jones.” Children want to see themselves represented in their stories. I am happy to report there is a lot more diversity in children's literature these days. American Girl books especially have been reflecting a lot of diversity.

I thought of all of these things as I started reading Shepherding Sam by Melinda Johnson. It is a beautiful story about a boy and a dog who grow together and help each other. The setting is an Orthodox Christian Monastery and as an Orthodox Christian living in New York State it reminds me of New Skete in Cambridge. I think readers who love animals will appreciate Saucer the corgi and his monastery farm friends. Sam has a lot of big feelings that he is learning to cope with and is helped by Saucer, his relatives, and kind nuns at the monastery.

This is a bright chapter book that would be great for 2nd-4th graders. I look forward to being able to give you my 7 year old daughter's review. I am glad she is excited to read about a young person like herself who in the course of his story visits a monastery and goes to Sunday school and has friends who are monks and nuns.