I love this book because it’s all about the power of love-the love between a little girl and a skinny stray dog named Louie. Love Like Louie is a wonderful book with lessons for kids, for adults, for everybody who believes that love really can conquer all. Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The New One Minute Manager® and Servant Leadership in ActionLove Like Louie is a heartwarming story of a girl and a lost dog, and the ‘character do-over’ they both experience. Sixth-grader Emi wants to be anyone other than Emi. She hopes that trying out for the school play will change her life, earning her a place among the popular kids. But her shyness is overwhelming. On top of that, she is no longer speaking to her best friend, Grace, who has now made friends with the mean girls. And there’s the mystery of a note that Emi carries everywhere with her.After yet another bad day at school, Emi meets an abandoned, skinny, mangy lost dog with an attitude, which melts Emi’s heart. Her parents make it clear she can’t keep him. But Emi works hard to help him and learns right away that in order to help him, she must choose to love this unlovable dog-not an easy choice.At school, Emi unfolds the tales of the lost dog, Louie, during lunch. Soon, one by one, kids gather to listen, enthralled by Emi’s amazing gift of storytelling. She shares each day how, with the aid of a shelter close by, she’s helping Louie build trust. Helping Louie, though, means Emi will have to give him up soon so a loving family can adopt him. And letting go proves to be more difficult than she imagined. But then something happens that changes them both forever. Isolation as a result of bullying is the primary cause of depression in children today. Bullying needs to be stopped. Objectifying others is at the root of all malice, prejudice, and bullying. It seems impossible to make a difference, but what if we could change children’s hearts and redirect their thinking, eventually changing their behavior simply by sharing a heartwarming story? What if that story was the beginning of building character and a community of peers who commit to not treating people as objects? Could a breakthrough in the childhood isolation epidemic be possible because of a powerful message of love and the renewal of kindness? It’s possible, and it’s happening thanks to a little lost dog named Louie!
