Fido

I'm a little behind in our history reading but I pulled some Civil War era books off the shelf today anyway. I have a lot of books that I have never read (!) and now that my last little chick is going to be 9 years old in exactly one month (!!) I feel this compulsion to read every book we own that she might out grow soon. This was the case with one of the books today. It is a Hello Reader book Level 4 for grades 2 & 3. I'm sure it came in a pack of President's Day books when I used to order from Scholastic like books were going out of style. The book is called The President's Puppy by Linda Oatman High and it is about Abraham Lincoln. In simple sentences and colorful illustrations, it told the story of Fido, the Lincoln families beloved yellow, floppy eared dog. Fido was a constant companion to Abe and his boys and it became clear to all of us that the Lincoln's thought of their pet much as we do ours; as part of the family. When I was done reading I said I wanted to find that photo that was talked about in the book to see if it was true. Sure enough, everything that was in the book, that Fido would carry packages home from the market for Abe, that he slept on the horsehair sofa, that Mary would feed him scraps and he was playmate for the boys, seemed to be true. I especially liked the instructions to Fido's new caregivers when the Lincoln's felt he would be better off in Illinois when they went to the White House, to never scold him for coming in with muddy paws. Fido Lincoln might not be a part of history that changed the world in any way, but today, for our family, it made history come alive .

Read some more about Fido here~