Soaring Soren: When French Bulldogs Fly

By: Deborah Stevenson
Illustrated by: Morgan Spicer
Publisher: Aperture Press
Publication Date: October 2016
ISBN: 978-0997302059
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: August 2017

Soren is an adorable French Bulldog who is on a mission - to prove that dreams can come true, especially if you work hard to obtain them. And he wants to take your child along with him on his adventure.

Soaring Soren is based on the true story of Soren, a little French Bulldog who traveled all the way from Denmark to the United States to become a top-notch show dog for his owner Deborah Stevenson. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans for Soren because as he grew, he grew a little too much. He was too tall for the strict showing standards required of French Bulldogs. What would Soren do? There was no doubt that Deb truly loved and adored him so maybe Soren was destined to simply become a lap dog.

One day while Deb was outside watching her beloved dog play, she noticed that Soren loved to run fast and jump quite high. Hmmm....maybe Soren would make a good agility dog. But everybody knows that French Bulldogs are too slow, too heavy, their legs are too short, and, well, they just can't do agility. But they didn't know Soren. He adored Deb and would do anything for her. He also loved the fast-paced training required for agility, and soon he loved participating in agility trials too. Soren was about to change the minds of those who doubted him but would he be good enough to earn an agility championship? Dreams do come true if you work hard and never give up...

Soaring Soren is a totally delightful story of one dog's efforts to make his, and his owner's, dream come true. With a positive message of working hard, and never giving up, children will be inspired to reach for their dreams too. The illustrations are quite nice, and fit well with the happy mood set by the story. In addition, with Soren's happy face and big, brown eyes appearing in almost every drawing, the artwork really brings out the personality of Soren. At 37 pages, there's a bit more text than restless 4 or 5 year olds may sit through, so for the youngest readers, you may need to break the story up into 2 or 3 bedtime readings.

Quill says: Soaring Soren helps teach children that with a little hard work, if they can dream it, they can achieve it. A wonderful message and a delightful book.

For more information on Soaring Soren: When French Bulldogs Fly please visit the publisher's website at: www.FrogPrinceBooks.net