Baby Dog Beans Comes Home: A Paul and Beans Adventure by Jennie Hale Book Baby-Preschool 22 pages Abbott Avenue Press August 2005 Hardcover     What is it about golden retrievers that makes a dog lover, young or old, go wild? In Baby Dog Beans Comes Home, author Jennie Hale Book captures the sweet “magic” of these gentle, devoted, intelligent dogs while offering young children an important message they can identify with. The story is seen from the perspective of Paul, the older dog who until now has been the only “child” in the family, and Beans, the new baby brother. More than anything, Beans wishes to be accepted by his older brother, but Paul is not ready to be friends, play catch, or share any of his toys. As a matter of fact, Paul liked it a lot better when it was just him. All this changes when Beans runs into serious trouble and Paul rescues him. As Paul realizes in the end, “It’s not always easy when a new brother or sister comes into the family. But even if you’re not best friends right away… give them a chance and you’ll have someone who’ll be there for you your whole life. And that’s pretty great.” This is a book that can be read to a very young child, and one that early readers will relish on their own. The large, adorable photographs are sure to delight people of all ages.       web reviews   Sharon Schulz-Elsing/2006 for curled up with a good kid's book   For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews, visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)