Book excerpt: Poppy and Puppy Are Friends is a charming and informative picture book designed to encourage safe behavior around dogs for the entire family. The many responsibilities associated with having a dog are depicted throughout in an effort to create a general understanding of responsible dog ownership and animal husbandry at even the earliest age! Learning to "listen" to and communicate with a dog is paramount to successfully raising children and dogs within the same household. In our human world, we often forget that dogs use a nonverbal style of communication called body language to express their feelings. This lighthearted and expressively illustrated book provides children with a general introduction to identifying and respecting these nonverbal cues. Children will delight in the fun, brief text combined with the use of vivid color and grey tones, allowing them to chime in and/or anticipate what is to come for Poppy and her puppy. Parents are invited to partner with young readers and learn along the way! Proactive education promoting respect for animals with safety as a top priority creates happy pets, safe homes, and healthy family relationships ... ultimately keeping more dogs in their homes and out of overpopulated shelters. Join Poppy in learning how to treat Puppy! The author pledges to donate a portion of all online sales proceeds to Best Friends Animal Society, the nation's largest animal sanctuary located in Kanab, Utah.