The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan by Jasmine Warga illustrated by Vivienne To

“This is Finnegan,” Basma says to the security guard. “He’s our new cheetah ambassador dog.” Cheetah ambassador dog? Finnegan isn’t positive, but he’s pretty certain cheetahs are a type of cat. Why would he have anything to do with cheetahs? This must be a mistake. Maybe his nervousness is making him hear things.

It is very clear from the first chapter, where we meet Finnegan, that he is a stray dog and that he has been through some trauma with his previous owner, but Jasmine Warga uses so much restraint before using just one word to introduce her cheetah cub named Chase and reveal that she is living in a zoo - that word is enclosure.

Finnegan is rescued from the forest by Ryan. Ryan lives with Basma. Basma works at the zoo. Are you connecting the dots?

Jasmine Warga creates the most fantastic levels of tension in her book. There were times when I had to stop reading The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan so I could take a breath. Twice I anticipated that the storyline was taking me to a place of dreadful sadness. On page 80 I actually put this book aside and left it for a couple of hours. I was so worried about Finnegan and the bad choice he was about to make. It was tough to read all the ways Finnegan misunderstands his new family. It broke my heart when he thought their packing boxes meant they were tossing him away just like his previous owner Samuel. 

I am very conflicted about zoos and using animals to perform for visitors but putting those concerns to one side I love the relationship of Finnegan and Chase; I loved the way Finnegan describes or makes sense of the world and especially of human behaviour through his sense of smell; and the gently unfolding friendship between the young cheetah cub Chase and Finnegan. Listening to some of the birds in my neighborhood the other day I wondered if birds can understand one another. I am not sure if dogs and cheetahs can talk in 'real life' but as a reader I loved the way Chase and Finnegan share their own life stories and worries. Finnegan really cares about Chase - he gives her such a sweet nickname - Puffball.

The cheetah cub makes an odd noise. It’s not a meow. He thought she would meow because she is a cat. It’s a sound more like one a bird would make. It makes him want to laugh. He sticks his tongue farther out of his mouth, edging closer to her. “Your name is Chase?” She doesn’t answer. And she doesn’t make the chirping noise again, either. “How old are you?” he asks. The cub freezes. “You know I can see you,” he says. “Can you talk? Are you understanding me? I don’t know how to speak cat.” And then he adds, “Or bird. Are you speaking bird?”

I loved that Finnegan was a rescue dog with a hidden past; so many bad things can happen to dogs, and they can't tell their new homes about them! At least Finnegan can confide in Chase when his humans don't quite understand why he is so upset when they are packing up to move to a new home. Ms Yingling

At its heart this is a book that explores trust, communication, belonging, fear, self-doubt, and the ways we try to make sense of our world.

One of the strange things that happens to me when I read an eBook (on a Kindle or other device) is that I am reluctant to jump to the back of the book which is something I do with a paper book - reading the author notes either before I begin a book or while I am taking the journey. All the way through The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan I kept hoping that bringing together a cheetah and a stray dog would be based on real events - and (spoiler alert) yes, it is. 

Author Note: A few summers ago, I was visiting the Cincinnati Zoo with my daughters. We went to watch the cheetah run, and during the show, I learned about the practice of pairing cheetahs with rescue dogs. At some zoos across the country, cheetahs are matched with dogs to aid in their social development by becoming their playmates and companions. The dogs and cheetahs often become quite bonded as a result.

Blurb from the author page: Finnegan is a rescue dog with a broken heart. Chase is an anxious cheetah cub, newly orphaned. The two animals couldn't be more different. But one day, they are brought together for the unlikeliest of reasons: Finnegan must help Chase gain the confidence she needs to perform as part of an educational program for children at a zoo. Finnegan and Chase have each suffered losses and have trouble trusting. Yet somehow, they are just what the other needs. But if Finnegan isn’t able to help Chase overcome her fears, he won’t just be letting Chase down–he could be risking his new home as well.

The Unlikely Tale of Chase and Finnegan is a book to read and enjoy either alone, or in a family as a read aloud or as a shared book in a class. Because this book is very new and only available in hardcover (AUS$37-UAS$45) you will have to wait for the paperback to arrive here in Australia. 

I am not in favour of always dissecting and using a text to 'teach' things but there are some truly wonderful sentences in this book that you could share with a writing group:

His heart beats quickly beneath his rib cage and his belly rumbles. He shivers. The wind continues to howl, whipping and slicing and whooshing. The tree trunks bend and curve. With his paws, he digs to make space beneath a soggy log. He flops down, his belly resting on the wet, muddy earth.

Chase’s mother moves like liquid sunshine, like something molten instead of solid. It is mesmerizing to watch her.

Jasmine Warga beautifully describes all the different smells and the way Finnegan interprets them: 

His scent, which changed with his mood. But when he was happy, he smelled like oranges and soap. It was a good smell. The dog loved that smell.

The dog watches the stranger. His scent is soap and sweat. It is sandalwood and grassy soccer fields and chocolate cake.

He inhales the air. He smells the candle. He smells leftover food in the refrigerator. Mmm, he’s pretty sure it’s something cheesy. He loves cheese. Cheese is good. Cheese is happiness.

Finnegan has learned that Ryan, underneath all the spices, almost always smells faintly of chocolate cake, but the scent grows stronger when he is happy.

I picked up this book because Colby Sharp said it was fantastic! He is so right. 

Jasmine Warga sent Colby's Grade Five class 25 signed copies of her book.

An endearing, deeply moving story of healing. Kirkus Star review

"Jasmine Warga's brilliant and heartfelt storytelling made my heart soar. While spending time with Chase and Finnegan, words like friendship, family, connection, love, light, and joy kept racing through my mind. Most of all, the story filled me with HOPE!" ―John Schu, librarian and New York Times best-selling author of Louder Than Hunger

"An uplifting and heartwarming story about friendship and the way it can change lives for creatures great and small; sure to leave an impact long after the last page. Hand to fans of Katherine Applegate’s One and Only and Rosanne Parry’s Voice of the Wilderness series." ―School Library Journal (starred review).

Companion books:

The One and Only Ivan; The One and Only Bob; The One and Only Ruby; 

The One and Only family

Song of a Thousand Seas

Odder

The Way of Dog

Jasmine Warga recommends this book:

Jasmine Warga is such a talent - her books are all wonderful but also so varied.

A Strange thing Happened at Cherry Hall

A Rover's Story

Other words for home

Island Storm by Brian Floca illustrated by Sydney Smith

"Now take my hand and we'll go see the sea before the storm."
"You pull on me, I pull on you, and we decide to go on."

The text in this book is a lyrical poem. Two children head outside but they know a storm is approaching. There is an urgency to their journey. When the storm arrives they race home to the comfort of towels, dry clothes, dinner, a warm bed and blankets. But like all storms this one will eventually be spent, and the morning gives everyone the promise of a new day.

"A powerful thunderstorm is brewing on the island. Leaves whisper and branches shake. Waves crash and the sky grows close and dark. Two brave siblings bear witness, pulling each other through the woods and along the shore. They'll shelter soon, but not yet. First they need to feel it all."

This book is an equal partnership of exquisite writing and exquisite illustrations.

Here are some examples from the text:

"We stand on stones that lie like great bones, weathered and worn by water and time - by storms like the one that's headed our way."

"We pass the lighthouse, standing guard- a tower with a blinking eye, a tower with a lonesome cry, a welcome and a warning."

"Our town is eerie and empty, a stage without its show."

Walker Books blurb: A gorgeously illustrated jacketed hardback picture book for children which explores the extraordinary strength and changeability of the natural world and shines a light on those thrilling new experiences shared with siblings. Join in the journey as two siblings go hand-in-hand to experience the true power of a thunderstorm in their seaside town. They want to witness it all - the rise, the thrill of it all, and then the slow return to calm once the storm has passed and a new day begins.

Smith’s impressionistic watercolor and gouache illustrations convey not simply the horrifying strength of the storm, but also the way the light of day changes and shifts throughout the kids’ walk. The images plunge readers into heart-stopping moments, rendered real thanks to Floca’s incredibly evocative wordplay, capable of eliciting both fear and comfort. Readers will experience this tempest alongside the characters, every step of the way. Kirkus Star review

I would never use the phrase tranquil conclusion, but it is an interesting concept and does fit the ending. I was thinking, “I love a good storm as much as the next person, but I do not think I would venture as far away from home as these two kids did.”  However, I liked how Smith’s colors change as things start to “heat up” and the storm comes closer, becomes more intense, then as it leaves and brightens the day. Things are dark, but always have a form of light to them that allows a little hope. Cannonball Read

Sydney Smith (winner of the Hans Christian Andersen Award) is a master of water scenes in his illustrations. See more pages inside this book here.

Hopefully you have seen many of his previous books:

Check out this blog post

You can see more books by Brian Floca here.

Storm by Jane Bunn illustrated by Dasha Riley

"The sky was menacing and dark. It looked like it could swallow anything and everything."

The television weather presenter advises everyone to say indoors. Jane's little dog Stampy is terrified. Jane is a problem solver and so she decides to research storms and write her discoveries in her journal which she then shares with her pup. To complete her research, she uses the library and talks with a meteorologist (her aunt). The result is a partially fiction book with full pages of weather facts. 

The author of this book is a television weather presenter from Channel Seven. Celebrity books do make me cringe - but I guess a television weather presenters would know her topic and also, she is perhaps a fairly minor celebrity - unless you live in Melbourne. She talks about her book here with Reading with a Chance of Tacos. (25 minutes) She might do further books and make a series. Hope she can take a look at this book set:

I had a little girl in my school a few years ago who was terrified of storms and especially upset of there was thunder and lightning. One day we had a very wild storm at school - actually this happened fairly often at home time. The little girl was with me in the library - I don't remember why - but I do remember comforting her during the storm and the kind reaction of her mum when she finally arrived. I would have loved to loan her this book once the storm had passed. 

I am not a massive fan of the illustrations in this book, but I do really like the combination of a fictional narrative about Jane and her dog linked with the fact pages about storms; lightning; wind; hail; storm safety; and predicting weather.

Publisher blurb: When a dark, menacing storm rumbles over Jane’s house, she has lots of questions ... Where do storms come from? What causes lightning? How does hail form? And most importantly, how do we stay safe? Discover all the wild-weather answers you need to know in this imaginative and informative story from weather presenter and meteorologist Jane Bunn.

Pair this with:

I am the Storm