Tuesday Takes Me There: The Healing Journey of a Veteran and his Service Dog by Luis Carlos Montalvan and Bret Witter, with photos by Dan Dion.
Published by Post Hill Press in 2016
Age level: 3-8; grade level P-2
Summary: Tuesday Takes Me There is a narrative nonfiction picture book. It is the story of Luis, a military veteran and his service dog, Tuesday. The book is "narrated" by Tuesday, and explains that Luis suffers from PTSD from being in the Iraq War, and how Tuesday helps him in life, from waking up in the morning to traveling to new places. In this book, Luis and Tuesday visit New York City and Washington D.C.
My Thoughts: Simply put: I loved this book. This book deals with some tough subjects, such as war, veterans, and post traumatic stress disorder and explains them in the gentle voice of Tuesday, the service dog. The photos by Dan Dion are just wonderful, and create a "realness" that illustrations sometimes can't. There is nothing more touching than the photo of Luis and Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery, and it really moved me. Also to note that there are factoids spread throughout the book. Whenever Luis and Tuesday visit an important landmark, a fact will pop up somewhere on the page. This happens with the Jefferson Memorial, the Statue of Liberty, and the Freedom Tower. This book would be perfect for a read-aloud, as it gives ample opportunities for children to ask and answer questions, and learn a great deal about sensitive subjects. The end of the book talks about Tuesday and Luis visiting schools and libraries and talking about these subjects as well.
Of note: There are other books about Tuesday what young readers will enjoy. Tuesday Tucks Me In, the first book about Tuesday, details everyday life with Luis. There is also Until Tuesday: a Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him, which isn't a children's book, but meant for teens and adults. Luis Montalvan also has an official website, with a section dedicated to Tuesday: http://www.luiscarlosmontalvan.com/tuesday.html
