Book Review

Marley by John Grogan
Warning....you will laugh and you will cry while reading about Marley, the mischievous Lab. Adapted for younger readers from the bestseller, Marley and Me by John Grogan, Marley is fun reading based on the true-life experiences of John Grogan and his family with their extremely ill-behaved dog. A dog-loving child will love this book, however, I do recommend reading it with your children so as to discuss the death of Marley together and also focusing their energies on remembering the fun and happy memories enjoyed during Marley's life.
I have been reading this book aloud with my two daughters. Tonight as we completed the last chapters, it was difficult to see the pages as I was crying, no sobbing, simultaneously with Megan and Katherine, as Marley's 13 wild years came to an end. Marley was truly one of their family. He was loved deeply and his death was difficult for them. At Marley's death, John Grogan told his wife, Jenny, "...it is okay to cry and that owning a dog always ended with this sadness because dogs just don't live as long as people do."

Having lost a family dog tragically (drowning in our pool), and now we are one week away from the arrival of our new puppy, this book hit close to home in so many areas. Interesting thing is, I have never considered myself a dog-lover, or animal lover for that matter, yet I am excited for little Riley to arrive and form a bond with him. (Remind me of this when I am whining about staying up all night and cleaning up P & P all day long)

This is one of my favorite quotes from the book:

"Sometimes it took a dog with stinky breath and bad manners to help us see what really counts in life. Despite all his flaws, Marley had given us a gift that no amount of money could buy He gave us the gift of total, complete love. He taught us how to give it and how to accept it. When you have love, most of the other pieces fall into place."