Product Overview
My First Best Friend
By: Sharon Daniels
About the Book
Snick was in his family for years before a baby boy was born, and now that he’s here, baby and Snick are inseparable! Snick is present for almost everything that goes on during the child’s day and the bond they share is like no other. No longer just “man’s best friend” but “baby’s best friend,” Snick is this child’s first loving and constant companion.
About the Author
Sharon Daniels is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with her degree in child development. She always loved reading stories to children—especially her own grandchildren—so writing a book for kids was only natural!
Daniels has three sons whom she raised in South Florida. All of them were good students and now are successful businessmen and excellent fathers.
Daniels is a professional comedian/impressionist and singer. She writes poetry for all occasions and also works as a lyricist. She’s been professionally performing in South Florida and theaters around the country for over thirty years.
My First Best Friend is based on her first-born grandson’s relationship with his dog, Snickers.
(2019, Paperback, 30 pages)
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Read some wonderful reviews!
Beautifully Written! "I bought this book for my new baby grandson. My son reads the book to him often! We love how it is beautifully written and love the illustrations! We are all huge animal lovers so this book is perfect for young children!"
great for reading aloud to a child "my best friend shows the expression of love by the author for her grandchild. he loved the dog who was always there for him. this book is perfect for reading aloud to anyone especially a young child. i enjoyed the experience"
Understanding Friendship "Wonderfully sensitive and insightful book for children. I will recommend it to all"
"My First Best Friend is a treat for all bedtime story readers and their young listeners. A little boy named Evan tells his true story in rhythmic rhyme about how Snickers, his family dog, he and became the very best of friends. Children will laugh and "ewww" at Evan and Snick's experiences and may even ask for a Snickers of their own. This charming little book is about the gift of friendship and the trust and sharing and love that come with it. My First Best Friend is, in fact, a gift from author Sharon Daniels to Evan, her first grandson, and happily, she's sharing it with all of us!"
-Ruth E. Zwick EdM, former director of Newsaper in Education program
"I purchased My first best friend by Sharon Daniels. I felt the book was incredibly sweet, showing the child's first pet, the relationship with that pet and family. It shows how the dog has to adjust to having a baby in the family and how everyone comes together. The illustrations are amazing. At the end it shows the author's grandson and dog personalizing the story. There is also a thoughtful question section at the end of the book, that a parent, grandparent, or teacher can use as interaction . discussion. I highly recommend this book"
-Linda Moldaver Book Review
Wonderful Read An excellent book for young children, but as a dog lover, I even bought it for myself.
Perfect book for classroom read or at home! I am a retired elementary classroom teacher and school librarian with forty-nine years of experience reading and sharing books with children. I found this book to be a sheer delight because the words and illustrations evoked especially vivid feelings of the love and joy the boy and dog had for each other. Being a dog lover this book was especially appealing, as I could understand the love between them. It brought back such fond memories of my own childhood dog.
Although I am retired, I volunteer in the school where I taught the latter years of my career as their school librarian and also volunteer to read at story time at the local library. I read "My First Best Friend" to kindergarten classes and preschool groups. There were giggles and delight as the dog and boy engaged in one daily activity after the other with so many telling me that their dog did the same thing! The story is highly relatable to anyone that has or had a dog they have known and loved. The rhyming text gives it a melodic cadence putting the reader into a cheery mood and makes it even more compelling.
The questions at the end of the book are a built in valuable bonus since they are great examples of questions for classroom or group discussion. Each question can elicit a variety of responses and opportunities for verbal expression so necessary for the cognitive development of young children. Almost all of the children were enthusiastic participants and limiting discussion was more of a problem than trying to stimulate talk. They all wanted to give their opinion and tell their own dog story. This book could serve as a jumping off start to a child “telling” his/her own dog story either verbal or written.
Not only were the beautiful illustrations captivating to them but also the photos of the real boy and dog awed them. Most often I was asked to read the book over and over because they wanted to talk about the activity of the story page by page.
This book can be read to a class, enjoyed at home by adult or child, or read independently. I think it appeals to any dog or other pet lover. I highly recommend it.
