James Beverly is a modern day Aesop with his endearing short stories of Seamus the kind and gentle Sheltie who guides children into the learning of life’s difficult lessons. In the Book More Tales (Tails) of Seamus the Sheltie, with the help of Seamus, children are exposed to topics such as, how to handle a bully, the illness and death of a loved one, stealing and its consequences, dealing with strangers, keeping yourself safe, and how to handle feeling different. Many of the topics addressed within these short stories are difficult ones for adults to approach with children but James Beverly uses Seamus as an ambassador to understanding. The stories are filled with Seamus’s friends, creatures, children are sure to come to love.  The creature’s language, unique to the Tales of Seamus is sure to be loved by children, as they will feel Seamus and his friends come to life. Children will learn while listening to their family read the stories.  This book is sure to increase the bond between parent and child or reader and child.

       The beautifully detailed drawings by Anita Miles bring the characters to life. The drawings help young children visualize the story to a greater degree. A perfect addition to the book!

      Included in this book are discussion questions for each story. These questions will help the reader guide children to a deeper understanding of the story and lesson. These questions encourage the reader and the child to talk about the topic(s) embedded in the story in a gentle way. Talking about difficult topics will make the child more comfortable and lead to them asking their own questions. Beverly also includes a summary of each story and the Life Lessons and Values each story addresses. This makes it easy for the reader to pinpoint the topics addressed and allows the reader to select the stories as needed. It is not necessary to read the book from cover to cover but allows you the reader to select stories appropriate for the child or children you are reading to. Children will certainly want to hear more, but this book gives you options. I loved that Beverly included this section! It is very reader/user friendly!

    As a teacher I will be able to share these Life Lessons and Values with my students, through Seamus’ Tales. Many children often times don’t get this level of conversation at home. If every parent had this book, children would learn through Seamus how to be kinder and gentler to each other, the world would be a far better place.

Reviewed on 07/05/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Michelle Siegel

James Beverly has created a wonderful book for both children and parents with his new book “More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie”, a follow-up to his first book The Adventures of Seamus the Sheltie. Not only has Beverly created a lovely book, he has created a way for parents to bond with their children and become more involved in their lives. Each of the adventures we share with Seamus a life lesson is brought to light. With topics ranging from adoption, stealing, bullies, to behaving, illness, and death each teaching the child invaluable lessons that will help them through out their life. “More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie” is as charming as it is educational, with adorable illustrations by Anita Miles of the much loved lead character the one and only Seamus. James Beverly has added a wonderful cast of critters from his own backyard that complement each of the exciting adventures that Seamus encounters. James Beverly also has carefully created a language just for Seamus and his friends and has included the translations in the back of the book.

 

“More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie” is truly a book that all parents should own and read to their children. With questions and discussions included in the back of the book, “More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie”, is an amazing book that will help you to understand how your child is feeling. With each story only being about ten pages long it’s the perfect book for young readers. “More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie”, teaches so many wonderful life lessons and helps to installs morals that no parent should be without copy. Kudos to James Beverly for creating a book that teaches children to do right.

Reviewed on 10/10/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons

Even if you don't like dogs, little Seamus will grow on you very quickly, guaranteed. Especially when there's no doggy breath to contend with.

Seamus is an intelligent and fiercely loyal Sheltie with incredible story-telling abilities and a great set of values. Each chapter of his book is a stand-alone adventure story with an important moral or basic value built into it. And there is a discussion guide for each chapter at the end of the book to encourage meaningful conversation and reinforce the value.

Seamus actually has two books already: The Adventures of Seamus the Sheltie, and the one I've reviewing, More Tales of Seamus the Sheltie. And he's got his own website, too: seamusthesheltie.com.

The Author
James Beverly has worked in the field of mental health as a therapist and administrator for many years. He's worked with a wide variety of distressed children and their families, and has realized that many of the parents wanted to instill meaningful values into their children, but didn't know how or didn't have the resources.

From experience with his own daughter, James knew that telling stories from her dog's viewpoint could lead to serious discussions and life lessons in an nonthreatening way. And so this series was born to assist parents to pass on meaningful values to their children.

Our Review
Two-year-old Esmé is a little young for this book (it is recommended for 6 and older), but she did check out some of the black and white sketches throughout.

I love the doggie dialect the author uses - it makes for perfect read-aloud stories! It is actually very well-thought out and consistently used - based on a Sheltie's physical structure and mental limitations.

I also appreciate how the chapters can be used alone as aids in specific situations. There are chapters dealing with adoption, sickness, poverty, and stealing, among others. The discussion guides look great, too.

My favorite chapter, "Seamus and the Perfect Day," demonstrates how you can have a great time just being with your family; you don't need fancy toys or fancy destinations to enjoy yourself.

Admittedly, parents' values may differ. There were two chapters I thought might prove controversial with some parents: one on death, and one on ghosts. The author diplomatically dealt with these topics, but should you feel they conflicted with your own belief system, you can easily skip past them and utilize the other chapters.

Overall, a definite keeper in Esmé's library that is slated for future bedtime reading.

Reviewed on 08/05/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jane Maritz