Gareth Gets a Job
In the educational picture book Gareth Gets a Job, a pup tests out the many jobs that he might perform, desperate to learn his purpose in life.
In C. M. Harris’s inspirational picture book Gareth Gets a Job, a ambitious, eager pup tries to find the best career path possible for him.
Gareth is a two-year-old black lab who heads to school, eager to find employment. He could become a police dog, a guard dog, or a mobility assistance dog. As he learns about each job, he faces tests like sniffing out different objects, barking loudly, and pulling a wheelchair. Unfortunately, he fails many of the tests he faces.
Gareth learns that not every job is tailor-made for him, no matter how hard he tries. Still, he is an optimist and a hard worker. With each challenge, he continues to put forth his best effort. Eventually, his work ethic and positive attitude help to define his chosen field.
Introducing the idea that animals work, and showing the jobs at which they work with humans, the story follows Gareth as he is asked to perform and is assessed by the dogs testing him. Each potential mentor represents a different breed, helping to teach about what various dogs are good at.
But the book’s frequent changes to the color of the text are distracting, and the amount of text per page varies too much: there are text-heavy pages, but also pages with just a few lines. The computer-generated illustrations feature a variety of people and bodies, and the dogs are expressive in face and posture. A compelling ending section, “Meet Charity and Gareth,” introduces the dog who inspired the story; it includes interesting facts and statistics.
In the educational picture book Gareth Gets a Job, a pup tests out the many jobs that he might perform, desperate to learn his purpose in life.
Reviewed by
Camille-Yvette Welsch
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
