Glenna Lang

This is a marvelous biography/history exploring the early life of the author of The Death and Life of Great American Cities] in context of what was happening in her hometown of Scranton/Dunmore, PA, in the 1920s and '30s. Fascinating to me, as the area has been "my city" too, for the last 45 + years. It is extremely well written, beautifully bound, full of historical and modern photographs--and it weighs approximately as much as a pillar of anthracite, which means it took a couple months to show more read---it simply wasn't safe to take it to bed with me! I met Glenna Lang in September, 2022, at a fund-raising event for the Dunmore branch of the Scranton Public Library, which is located in the middle of one of the neighborhoods where Jane Jacobs grew up. I serve on the SPL Board of Directors with a man who is mentioned at the top of Lang's list of acknowledgements, and he has been a champion for the work of both Jacobs and Lang. For anyone interested in urban planning, immigration history, the early Girl Scouts, the anthracite industry, the "life and death of cities", industrialization during WWII, or early 20th century Northeastern PA history in general, this is a book well worth reading.
Review written December 2022 show less

Based on the story of a real-life woman and her seeing-eye dog - musician and teacher Sarah Gregory Smith, and Labrador retriever Perry - Glenna Lang's Looking Out for Sarah is an engaging picture-book that follows its subjects through one of their busy days. From their morning errands to their afternoon visit to a school, where Sarah sings to, and speaks with groups of young students - not to mention a flashback in which Perry recalls the 300-hundred-mile walk from Boston to New York that show more he and Sarah once undertook, in order to draw attention to the vital services provided by seeing-eye dogs - the narrative chronicles their active life from Perry's perspective.

I appreciated the fact that Lang's story is told from the canine perspective, as I think that will give young readers added insight into the way that person and dog interact, in situations such as this. I also really liked that, while Perry is clearly a hard-working dog, he still has his little doggy quirks and foibles - who could resist all those crumbs?! - and still needs plenty of love and affection. The gouache illustrations are a little flat, but work well with the subject matter and story. All in all, Looking Out for Sarah is an engaging picture-book, one I would recommend to young readers interested in stories of seeing-eye dogs, people with disabilities, or just animal tales in general. show less

A day in the life of a guide dog, based on a true story. I love its emphasis on showing what blind people are capable of with proper support.

We see a day in the life of Perry the guide dog and his person Sarah, through Perry's eyes. Readers learn how Perry responds to Sarah's commands, how he guides her through town, and that he also enjoys playing and hanging out with Sarah when he's not actively working. An educational and accessible work; kids will appreciate the bond of dog and human and the importance of guide dog work.