Have you ever seen one of those animal rescue Public Service Announcements (PSAs)?

Even without them, if you have a child, you probably have been asked about getting a pet. Your kids see an adorable puppy or cuddly kitten. As adults, we know that when it comes to 4-legged critters, it isn’t as easy as walking into a store shop and walking out with a new pet. What about the animal’s health? How was the animal treated? What is the personality of the breed? Where is the best place to get a pet: a pet shop, an animal rescue center, a private breeder? Lots to think about.

According to the Humane Society, 6 to 8 million homeless cats and dogs enter shelters each year. Each one a real-life story about an adorable puppy or kitten that couldn’t be cared for by their original owner. The Humane Society’s goal is to find a loving family to care for these animals.

As evidenced by those PSAs, many people encourage pet-seekers to consider animal rescue and adoption. One of those people is award-winning children’s author Diane Rose-Solomon.

Diane has one message she’d like to share: The next time your family is considering getting a pet, adopt from from a rescue shelter! To help spread her message, Diane wrote her children’s picture book, JJ The American Street Dog and How He Came to Live in Our House. In addition to promoting her book, Diane is also passionate about helping save not only animals, but people and our environment as well!

Diane joins us to talk about her book and how she came to be involved in animal rescue.

The ABCs of animal rescue

MCA: Hi Diane! Welcome to the spotlight. There is a lot of information out there about pets, pet adoption and animal rescue. Can you share some more personal info about your motivation behind creating JJ The American Street Dog? 
Diane: I became aware of animal rescue almost 18 years ago when we accidentally rescued a homeless dog. As I got more involved I realized I had a story to tell and I wanted many people to hear it.

Most importantly, I wanted kids to know about animal rescue and pet adoption: how important it is, and how powerful their single action can be in saving a life. Children are the next generation of animal rescuers and our hope to eradicate animal homelessness.

MCA: That is very true! Now, it is easy to have a powerful idea for a children’s book, but bringing it to life is one tough challenge. What did you find to be difficult, and how did you overcome the challenge?
Diane: My biggest challenge was (and is) that I am not an artist. Finding the right artist who could help convey my message took a while. I wanted the book to be available a long time ago, but I also had a vision of how it should look. I got lucky and found an amazing artist who did a brilliant job bringing the story to life.

MCA: Now that you’ve had a chance to share JJ’s story, what kind of response have you had for the book? It is what you had hoped for?
Diane: People tell me all the time how much they and their children enjoy the “JJ” book. Whenever a child requests it at bedtime, or chooses to bring my book to their class to have read aloud, I feel very proud. That is more than I would have hoped for! Now that I know people actually like it, my goal is for the book to really catch on and lots of families to learn about JJ’s story and animal rescue.

MCA: That is excellent. What do you consider JJ The American Street Dog‘s most important contribution to families and/or educators?
Diane: JJ The American Street Dog is a great story to help teach children (and potentially the adults reading with them) about animal rescue and to empower people to make a lifesaving choice. It opens the conversation in a class room and at home about the choices we make and how it affects those around us. There are many lessons in the book about responsibility, which is so important on so many levels!

MCA: Very true! If developing your book has changed your life in any way, please share with our readers.
Diane: One of my favorite things to do is to read JJ The American Street Dog to children in their class room or at a pet adoption event. It allows me to meet people and have discussions, because however brief the conversations are, they are meaningful.

MCA: Looking ahead six months to a year, what’s next for you and JJ The American Street Dog?
Diane: My goal is to continue promoting JJ so that many more people learn about animal rescue. A wonderful by-product of book sales is that I donate a percentage of profits to animal rescue organizations. JJ is the first in a series of five books about various animal issues. They are already written and I am excited about publishing the next stories, which all have important messages as well.

MCA: Diane, we look forward to seeing the rest of your series! Thank you for sharing your story with us.

Mom’s Choice Awards® Honors

JJ The American Street Dog and How He Came to Live In Our House
by Diane Rose-Solomon
Children’s Picture Book
Silver – Domestic Animals & Pets

Contact, Connect, and Network with Diane

The Alumni Spotlight is a periodic feature on the official Mom’s Choice Awards® blog. It is part of our ongoing effort to “shine the spotlight” on you and your award-winning, family-friendly products, services, and media.