Product Description

One Boy. One Dog. One Dream!

Life is not easy for twelve-year-old Diego Escobár. It was wonderful raising Aloha from puppyhood to eighteen months, but now he must return her to the guide dog school for her formal training. Diego always knew that Aloha was on loan to him, but letting her go is proving to be the hardest challenge of his young life.

In this tender, inspirational tale, based on the true-life story of Aloha, Diego discovers that the sweet and sad in life are often interwoven. The unconditional love and trust between Aloha and Diego will enable her to become the dog she was bred to be. In giving her up, Diego gains unexpected rewards.

"Wherever you go, you will walk with a piece of my heart beside you."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #753608 in Books
• Published on: 2003-02-22
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780968509739
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-7-This is the story of seventh-grader Diego, who raises a puppy to become a guide dog for the blind, and of Miss Kimberly Louise, a woman who loses her sight as the result of an automobile accident. Their paths meet when Diego presents Aloha to her after the animal's graduation from Guide Dogs for the Blind. This book does an excellent job of explaining the process of training guide-dog puppies, a topic that will fascinate many children. Unfortunately, the dialogue is often unnatural ("I think it's liberating not seeing an unkempt beard or a blemished face"), or just plain treacly ("My world is still filled with the same marvelous colors as before, but now I'm viewing them from a different perspective"). Character development is told instead of shown, particularly Diego's growing confidence through raising Aloha, and the story begins slowly due to long-winded descriptions. Despite these problems, the moving scenario will have readers sniffling as Diego passes Aloha's leash to Miss Kimberly Louise, and may even lead them to consult the appended list of resources to find out about raising their own guide-dog puppies.
Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Attachment, dreams, unconditional love, and loss permeate the thrilling pages for pet lovers, children and adults. -- Mindquest, Fall, 2003 Edition

Finely-crafted and compelling, this novel consists of alternating chapters focused on a preteen puppyraiser and his dog Aloha and the middle-aged newly blind woman who would eventually become Aloha's partner. Besides the fact that this book is such a good "read", this novel is a really accurate look at the fun, discipline, and emotional impact of puppy raising. --Sally Rosenthal, Bay Region Barker, July 2004 Vol. 6, Issue 7

Hello, Goodbye, I Love You is touching and inspiring. The reader will not only come away with a keen understanding of guide dogs and what it takes to raise them, but will also appreciate this heartwarming, sweet story. Kimberly Louise inspires readers with her courage. --Writers Digest 2006

Pamela Bauer Mueller has hit all the right notes in a story that informs as well as entertains. -- Cary Knapp, Coastal Illustrated Columnist/Librarian-Three Rivers Regional Library, Brunswick, GA

Pamela Mueller has captured all the emotions from all of us who play a part in a guide dog’s life. -- Michael Hingson, National Public Affairs Representative, Guide Dogs for the Blind

The heartbreak of letting go and the joys of little miracles fill the pages of this compassionate story. Highly recommended. -- Small Press Bookwatch, Volume 2, Number 9 September 2003

This book is a heartwarming story about friendship which is going to be as hot as the Harry Potter books! -- Bette Dennerline, Media Specialist, Highland Park Middle School, Beaverton, OR

This tender story about raising and training dogs for the blind should be required reading for all Lions Club members. -- Tommy Jenkins, Author/Past Golden Isles Lions Club President, GA

What a fantastic book! It is well written with excellent pacing and makes a fascinating story. -- Georgeanne Irvine, Public Relations-San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA

From the Publisher
Piñata Publishing is pleased to announce that "Hello, Goodbye, I Love You" has been selected by the Childrens Book Council and International Reading Association as a "2004 Children's Choice" book. _________________________________________

Piñata Publishing is pleased to announce that "Hello, Goodbye, I Love You" has been selected as a Dog Writers Association of America 2003 Writing Contest Special Awards finalist.

As announced by the DWAA, "Merial is sponsoring the MERIAL HUMAN-ANIMAL BOND AWARD for the work which best highlights the special bond between people and their treasured pets… and best brings to life the concept of the human-animal bond."

Pamela Bauer Mueller and Piñata Publishing are proud to be recognized in this category by Merial and DWAA.

Customer Reviews

Hello, Good-bye, I Love You
HELLO, GOOD-BYE, I LOVE YOU is an inspirational tail that
will have you "sitting up and begging for more."

Diego, the Mexican boy, is thrilled to find his school is running a new program in which you adopt a dog for a temporary amount of time and train it for Guide Dogs for the Blind. He and his friend Jeremy join enthustiastically and embark on a joyous adventure training their dogs.

Then the day comes Diego has been dreading - the day he must give up his precious Aloha, the dog he's learned to love and care for. He's not sure how he's going to handle this, until he realizes someone else needs Aloha much more then he.

HELLO, GOOD-BYE, I LOVE YOU is a book that cannot be put down or forgotten. It tugs at your heart and will have you laughing and crying at the same time.

Aloha's Love Journey
Hello Goodbye I love You, is a great book that interweaves the life of Diego Escobar and his family as they raise Aloha the guide puppy and the life of Kimberly Louise as she goes through some tragic events. It teaches that there are many challenges in life, but we can try hard and find ways to overcome them. I loved how the two stories were interchanged chapter by chapter, and Pam used great imagery! It felt like I was in the book, part of the story and knew Diego and his family!I could picture all the scenes because of the wonderful word choice she used and the story is so realistic to how life would be with a guide dog.The way that Pam pieced together the story couldn�t have been better. She did an overall magnificent job with the book.
-Clara Baker

Fantastic!!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not only is it interesting to read, but is full of facts as well. We share the characters emotions, yet at the same time, learn the realities of raising a guide dog puppy. This book will interest both children and adults but is also a wonderful way to become informed about guide dogs, their trainers and recipients. I know this book will do more than just entertain, it will challenge and encourage people to act and get involved in such a wonderful project.