Jasmine Green rescues a collie called Sky; a kitten called Holly by Helen Peters, illustrated by Ellie Snowdon

  I just love these sweet stories and I was eager to read the next two in the series. Jasmine is looking forward to taking care of two chinchillas during the school holidays when she finds a horribly neglected collie pup. Her veterinarian mother warns her about not getting too attached, and that even if he lives they won't be able to keep him, but Jasmine is, once again, completely focused on saving the poor creature. After much love and care, Sky begins to recover and Jasmine starts putting her efforts into training him. However, he gets lost during a storm and bites Jasmine when she tries to rescue him; and no sooner has she handled this emergency than the dog's owner reappears. Will Jasmine have to give up her beloved new pet to someone who doesn't love him?

There's a certain amount of wish-fulfillment in these stories, such that no matter how much Jasmine's parents sternly warn her that she can't keep THIS one, she always does! However, in this case she doesn't get her own way - she disturbs the litter of a feral cat and has to rescue one of the kittens, who is rejected by the mother. As she falls in love with the little kitten, she's still determined to tame and care for the rest of the litter, despite her parents' warnings. When she disobeys them and brings the kittens inside, chaos ensues and her parents say that Holly must be adopted. To Jasmine's horror, Bella, the nasty girl at school, picks her out and her mother says she has to let her go. Will Jasmine be able to convince her mother to let her keep yet another pet? And if she does, is it the right thing for Holly or is there a better home for her?

Sweet black and white illustrations decorate the stories, showing a warm and wonderful family and a delightful group of animals. This isn't all sweetness and light though; Jasmine's mother is a vet and her father a farmer and although she's completely in love with animals, she also knows that their care can be dirty and unpleasant and her mother gently but firmly insists that Jasmine keep in mind that many neglected or abandoned animals - and even those well-cared for pets - can die. There are consequences for Jasmine's actions when she doesn't listen to her parents, even though she usually talks them into letting her keep all the animals in the end!

Verdict: We have plenty of animal rescue stories and I feel these are a cut above the average fare. They are a little longer and more challenging than some other offerings, and they are British which some kids are weird about (although there's nothing really that different in them), but I am happy to feature them in all my book clubs and recommend them frequently.

A collie called sky, ISBN: 9781536215724
A kitten called Holly, ISBN: 9781536215724

Published September 2020 by Walker Books US; Purchased 2 copies of each for the library