Title: Adventures of Willie the Westie
Author: Phil Ferretti
Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 9781098062828
Pages: 24
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Beth Adams
Hollywood Book Reviews
In this delightful illustrated children’s book, Adventures of Willie the Westie, by author Phil Ferretti, readers are treated to a variety of meetings of new animals by this cute West Highland Terrier, commonly called a “Westie,“ named Willie.
Each encounter brings out interesting details to readers. For example, when Willie first sees a turtle, he doesn’t know which end the turtle’s head is located because it is tucked into its shell. The meeting with a wild turkey has an element of danger, so Willie is kept in the car as the turkey nips at the car’s tires. Those turkeys are always a bit aggressive; the author points out. When Willie sees an armadillo, he thinks it is a cat in his backyard digging – that is until he gets a closer look. And Willie gets to play with other dogs at Aunt Judy’s house, and sees Phillip John’s, his owner’s, family.
Moving from the cold winters in Michigan to Texas brings new and different animals into Willie’s life – so much so that this book reads almost like a visit to a zoo! The illustrations are interleaved with the short text, giving a good way for the youngest of children to follow along with the story and see for themselves the diversity in the animals both in appearances and behavior. Willie is indeed loved by his owner and kind to all animals, which is a theme of this story – to love and be loved.
This story is short and sweet, being an excellent reach for a bedtime read. The author ends his book with a bit of a bio about himself, and I was surprised by reading about his love for Harley Davidson motorcycles. After all, you can’t bring a dog on a bike, Willie will have to stay home, but you can certainly pack a book in the saddlebag – that goes for home library bookshelves as well.