Helpful Score: 3
Full disclosure: I am a pet owner. Specifically, I have three cats (two Siamese and one domestic shorthair) and two dogs (both Labrador Retrievers). The joy that my furry crew bring into my life is commensurate with the destruction that they cause (carpets used as scratching posts, furniture as teething toys and assorted electronics and apparel as edible snacks). And don't get me started on the retirement funds spent on vet bills (the local emergency vets know my gang by name!). Still I have never in my life been petless â a furry face has always been a part of my family. All this is my longwinded way of saying that any book that features a furry face has me from the cover, so with my admitted bias, below is my review of Cowboy & Wills.
When Monica Holloway's son, Wills, is diagnosed with autism she flees to the pet store to purchase an aquatic fish wonderland. This is a pattern that repeats itself with each blow that the family suffers â bad news leads to a new fill-in-the-blank pet: hermit crab; land turtle; hamster; rabbit; and, eventually, the top of Wills' pet wish â a puppy!
When Cowboy Carol Lawrence, a female golden retriever, enters Wills' life he begins to enter the world around him. Holloway describes the stark transformation:
With Cowboy in between himself and the crowd, Wills was able to answer most of their [his classmates'] questions. Everyone suddenly now knew Wills. We'd hit an unexpected gold mine. Wills was making his social debut. Cowboy on her purple leash, was leading Wills into the world of his peers, one that both terrified and beckoned him.
Without revealing any spoilers, Cowboy & Wills is a touching three hanky tribute to the powerful bond of a boy and his dog.
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (October 6, 2009), 288 pages.
Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.
When Monica Holloway's son, Wills, is diagnosed with autism she flees to the pet store to purchase an aquatic fish wonderland. This is a pattern that repeats itself with each blow that the family suffers â bad news leads to a new fill-in-the-blank pet: hermit crab; land turtle; hamster; rabbit; and, eventually, the top of Wills' pet wish â a puppy!
When Cowboy Carol Lawrence, a female golden retriever, enters Wills' life he begins to enter the world around him. Holloway describes the stark transformation:
With Cowboy in between himself and the crowd, Wills was able to answer most of their [his classmates'] questions. Everyone suddenly now knew Wills. We'd hit an unexpected gold mine. Wills was making his social debut. Cowboy on her purple leash, was leading Wills into the world of his peers, one that both terrified and beckoned him.
Without revealing any spoilers, Cowboy & Wills is a touching three hanky tribute to the powerful bond of a boy and his dog.
Publisher: Simon Spotlight Entertainment (October 6, 2009), 288 pages.
Advance Review Copy Provided Courtesy of the Publisher.
Helpful Score: 3
This book was written with an in depth look into a precious little boy who is autistic. The author is very descriptive and doesn't hide any details as the boy, Wills, is her child. Once Cowboy (Will's puppy) comes into the picture, the story tells how amazing a dog can be for a child who is autistic. This book had me laughing, learning and crying. Beware:when I say crying, I mean I was sobbing like a little baby!
Helpful Score: 2
great book, sweet story of an autistic boy Wills and a very special golden retriever Cowboy. make sure you have plenty of tissues handy.
Helpful Score: 2
Fascinating account of a family coping with their son's autism and how the arrival of a puppy in their son's life helped him reach out and break down so many of his boundries. Charming and both heartwarming and heartbreaking. A moving memoir.
Helpful Score: 2
Wow - this book is wonderful. It will leave you crying your eyes out, but fulfilled with a beautiful love story before an autistic boy and his amazing dog.
Helpful Score: 1
Driving With Dead People was one of the most fun books I've read. Cowboy & Wills was fun, touching, amazing, funny & heart wrenching. To be a parent is already a challenging job. But then, to have a child diagnosed with Autism... I just can't imagine it. Monica Holloway & her husband raise this child with patience (mostly), grace & love. The lessons they learn from him are invaluable. Then enters Cowboy Carol Lawrence, the blonde retriever puppy Wills has longed for. Not only does she turn their house into chaos but she acts as a bridge between the darkness of Autism & learning to be social with his fellow classmates & others. I read this book non-stop & cried like a baby on the way. It's a story about animals, kids, life & love.
Terrific Book. It is a story about a boy with autism and family trying to expand his boundaries. The mother uses pets to do this. She finally gets a dog who expands his world wonderfully. I don't want to spoil the ending but make sure you are at home by page 239 and have tissues nearby. Great story about dogs, autism, and a family.
