Product Description

Berta the dachshund is easy to love. She sleeps a lot and doesn’t let anything bother her — not even being called a “sausage dog” by Margery Miller’s best friend Rosalind. Margery knows that one day Berta will do something remarkable. And she does. It starts in early spring, when Berta becomes fascinated by the newborn chicks Mr. Miller brings home to raise. Berta’s interest increases when piglets are born in the barn, a baby kitten arrives, and the Millers are given a newborn lamb to raise when its mother refuses to care for it. Berta becomes a maternal sentry, barking when Patrick the lamb needs to be fed and protecting him from any perceived threat. At last the mystery is solved: Berta wants to be a mother, and she’s found a baby to look after. The question now is, how will Berta react when the Millers decide to teach Patrick that he’s a sheep, not a dachshund? Filled with lively line drawings and beautifully written by award-winning author Celia Barker Lottridge, Berta is an ideal chapter book for beginning readers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2507172 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 104 pages

From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. Her mother calls their dachshund lazy, but Marjory has always believed that Berta is clever and determined. A series of events convinces her that their dog longs to have puppies, but with so many other baby animals in their barn in the spring, Marjory's mother insists they wait till fall to breed her. When Rosalind's family takes in a newborn lamb, Berta proves herself to be a remarkable dog by adopting the foundling, protecting it, and mothering it until the lamb is old enough to be on its own. Illustrated with softly shaded drawings, this short chapter book will intrigue readers with its appealing story and its details of farm life with baby chicks, pigs, kittens, and lambs. Children who enjoy realistic animal tales will find this a quiet but satisfying story. Carolyn Phelan
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