A stray cat jumps into a stranger’s truck and gets more of a ride than he bargained for. He is adopted by a family that already includes Poppy, Gram and Halle, their dog. When the grandchildren Jada and Elijah bring their dog Jasper over for a visit on Tiger’s very first day with his new family, it becomes a series of teachable moments. Tiger has the opportunity to learn how to behave in a family where everybody cares about everybody else.
- Peggy and Gary Johncox
Peggy Johncox travels all over the USA, presenting the bucketfilling philosophy as explained in Carol McCloud’s three books, Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, Fill a Bucket, and Growing Up with a Bucket Full of Happiness. “As we spoke with children, I observed how much our pets fill our buckets. Halle, our miniature pinscher, is a perfect, fun example to promote these desired concepts. She’s a snuggler, loves to sleep by you, loves to go on walks and bounces with excitement and joy.”
Peggy should know. She grew up the oldest of 8 children. After studying at U of M and EMU, she taught grades K–8 for thirty-three years in Michigan, in Title I classrooms and on Indian reservations. In 2001 she was the Teacher of the Year for Fowlerville. Now she lives in Cohoctah with her husband, Gary; their dog, Halle; cat, Tiger; and parakeet, Sassy. She has three married children and seven grandchildren. She observes on her web site, “Pets are family members too. It’s important for our children to hear and understand that, as they learn to fill the buckets of those around them.”
- The Johncox Family
Peggy was inspired to write this book one day while walking through the woods with Halle leaping enthusiastically ahead. She thought about how fiercely yet non-violently Halle guarded their home, and how well Halle got along with other people and animals. She decided she wanted to tell the story of what happened when she adopted Tiger, a stray cat.
- Halle
- Tiger
- Jasper
It’s a beautiful book, with large pictures created by Megan D. Wellman that fill the page and sometimes overflow to two pages. At the bottom of each page are snippets of bucket-filling philosophy about giving compliments, expressing gratitude, sharing, and requesting and extending forgiveness.
Find out more or purchase the book at http://peggyjohncoxbooks.com/.
Livingston Parent Journal 