The Adventures of Flapjack: The Collar of Courage by Dan Cohen

• Paperback: 34 pages
• Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing (January 29, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1457525208
• ISBN-13: 978-1457525209

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The Adventures of Flapjack - The Collar of Courage is the second in the Adventures of Flapjack series. The series consists of narrative poems about an intrepid Australian Shepherd who faces challenges similar to those typically encountered by children. The first in the series, The Adventures of Flapjack - Finding Where I Belong, published in March, 2013, involved issues of separation, adaptation and the value of enduring friendship. The second book addresses fear related to bullying, inner strength and self-esteem. Throughout the series, Flapjack faces befuddling circumstances and follows his observations with "...but I don't know why." This invites children to engage with Flapjack in reasoning through and resolving confounding challenges. Throughout his adventures, Flapjack remains positive, inquisitive and...well...adventurous! 

My take on this book:

The Adventures of Flapjack: The Collar of Courage by Dan Cohen is about a dog named Flapjack, who is being bullied. Flapjack loves going to the big green park where he can play with his friends, but there's one dog that he hopes will stay away, and that's a bully. You see the bully is the meanest dog around, and picks on Flapjack and his friends, and they don't know why. When Flapjack hides behind a garbage can to get away from the bully he feels ashamed, but his mom tells him about the collar of courage and takes him to buy one. Will the collar of courage help Flapjack find courage to stand up to a bully?

The Collar of Courage is the second installment in The Adventures of Flapjack by Dan Cohen. It deals with the subject of bullying and how one little dog finds the courage to stand up to the bully in order to protect himself and his friends. Bright, colorful illustrations captures the eye as well as the imagination, bringing the story to life, allowing the reader to imagine the fear and shame that Flapjack felt but also how proud he was when he did the right thing! Written in rhyming prose the story flows well and is easy to read. The perfect pairing of words and pictures bring the story to life in such a way that I can just imagine youngsters will be reading along in no time at all. While fear of bullying is the major theme of the story it's also about finding courage, doing the right thing, and the importance of knowing that your parents are always there to help.  I love how the author allows the parents to take such a positive role in helping Flapjack deal with his fears, no matter what they were always there for him! As a dog lover I found this story a delightful read, while filled with the challenges that children often face, it is also filled with positive messages that will help them overcome those challenges! This book would make a wonderful addition to any library. On a scale of one to five I would give this book a six because it is just that good, I only hope that Flapjack has many more tail wagging adventures to share.

Reviewed for Readersfavorite.com