Snow Valley Heroes a Christmas Tale: Planet of the Dogs, #3

By Robert McCarty

Who were the Snow Valley Heroes? Did they really save Christmas? Children and adults have asked these questions for many years, and there have been many who tried to answer them. The confusion and uncertainty is because the Snow Valley Heroes came from the Planet of the Dogs long, long ago. This is the true story of how the dogs saved Christmas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Barking Planet Productions
• Release date: Oct 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9780978692827

Book preview

Snow Valley Heroes

A Christmas Tale

Planet of the Dogs Volume 3

For more reviews and information regarding the Planet of the Dogs Series of books, please visit our website at http://www.planetofthedogs.net/

What Readers Are Saying About

the Planet of the Dogs series

"What a truly wonderful and unique Christmas story for the whole family. Snow Valley Heroes by Robert J. McCarty and illustrated by Stella Mustanoja McCarty is the third offering in series; Planet of the Dogs. What an imagination this team has! There is a planet, inhabited by dogs and from time to time, they intervene in our planet’s affairs. When we are in trouble, when we need love, understanding, loyalty and so many of the other attributes that dogs posses, and that we more or less lack, they come to our rescue. As the reader will see, dogs have much to teach us about life, love and loyalty.

In this latest offering, it seems the wicked King of the North... comes up with the idea of stealing two of Santa Clauses' Reindeer, thereby putting an end to Christmas for good. The dogs of Dog Planet get word of this, and of course, take action! "

Don Blankenship, Teacher,Reviewer, Great Books For Kids

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"Snow Valley Heroes is a wonderful book for a Christmas present. Popular for children and grandchildren, and yourself!  Truly for all ages of dog lovers, it is a onetime story that has never been told — how our beloved dogs came to Earth to be part of our lives while bringing friendship, love, and loyalty to mankind.  Do yourself a favor....pick up a book or two for your children, grandchildren, the school library or public library. And one for yourself!"

Nancy Houser Editor/reviewer, Way Cool Dogs

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"All of the Planet of the Dogs books are well written.  Not only are they fun to read but also they exhibit good attitudes and beneficial attributes on the part of the main characters so that good overcomes evil, sometimes in surprising ways.  The short chapters are perfect to keep the attention of the target audience.  Dog lovers will especially like these tales, but everyone else can enjoy them too.  Snow Valley Heroes has the potential of becoming a favorite holiday story for both children and adults."

WayneWalker, Reviewer, Home School Buzz, Home School Book Review, and Stories for Children Magazine

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"In this third volume of the Planet of the Dogs series, readers are once again treated to the kindness and cooperation these dogs embrace as part of their very nature. Not only do they save Christmas, but they also teach the King of the North an important lesson he'll never forget. Written in folk style and illustrated in beautiful pencil drawings, Snow Valley Heroes is a charming and heart-warming Christmas tale.

Alice Berger, Reviewer Bergers Book Reviews

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"I loved the suspense in Snow Valley Heroes when the King of the North kidnaps reindeers, Dasher and Dancer...You feel yourself right within the pages hugging the dogs! This book may be written for children, but it really is a book for all ages.

Barbara Techel, Author of Frankie, the Walk 'N Roll Dog, & Frankie the Walk ‘N Roll Dog Visits Libby’s House

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"Just in time for the holidays! This delightful conclusion to the Planet of the Dogs series just caps off a wonderful tradition. The story is well suited to be read aloud to younger children and as chapter book for the older ones. All of your favorite dogs help rescue two of Santa's reindeer from the Evil King of the North. The story also imparts important lessons of cooperation and responsibility."

Mary Jacobs, Editor/reviewer. Bookhounds

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"I am a third grade teacher in Sheboygan, WI and I have developed a Therapy Dog Reading program (Pages for Preston) for second and third graders at Longfellow Elementary School.  We have read Planet of the Dogs during our reading time with the dogs and my students are absolutely enthralled with the book!  It was wonderful to witness them applying character lessons from the book to their own peer interactions. My students beg to read these books during free time.  What great motivators to encourage reading in young children!  I highly recommend these books."

Julie Hauck Elementary School Teacher, Shebyoygan, WI

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"Snow Valley Heroes is a great fantasy/holiday book for children and adults alike. The characters are fun and enjoyable, and the settings are well-written. Children will love to read this book and visualize the different towns, and they will likely add their own stories to the tale after reading the book. ..Read the book over and over to peel back the layers and see something new!"

Wendi Barker Wendi’s Book Reviews

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"Snow Valley Heroes: A Christmas Tale is a sweet book, third in the Planet of the Dogs series. As you read Snow Valley Heroes, you will immediately be swept away to a magical land of angry kings, ice castles, elves, Santa, reindeer, snow and dogs... peace. Although this is a children's tale, it holds enough appeal to become a favorite of not only our children, but also the parents as well. I thoroughly enjoyed my adventure through snow valley and highly recommend adding this book to your must have holiday favorites."

Dawn Speese,  Editor/reviewer.Mommy PR

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"There is so much to like about Snow Valley Heroes. Christmas stories are always huge hits in our house because we love the season; but when you combine that with imagination and creativity, those stories are even better. With the elves, reindeer, the dogs, the evil King of the North and his Royal Guards, and the Tundra Town Traders, McCarty has brought together many captivating elements to create a beautiful story. The illustrations provided by Stella Mustanoja McCarty are absolutely stunning and add a great deal to an already charming story".

Cheryl C. Malanderinos, Editor/reviewer, The Book Connection

Snow Valley Heroes

A Christmas Tale

Planet of the Dogs Volume 3

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Robert J. McCarty

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Illustrated by

Stella Mustanoja McCarty

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Barking Planet Productions

Marblehead, Massachusetts

SNOW VALLEY HEROES A CHRISTMAS TALE.  Text Copyright © 2008 by Robert J McCarty.  Illustrations Copyright © 2008 by Stella Mustanoja McCarty.  All rights reserved.  No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and

Reviews for Snow Valley Heroes a Christmas Tale

[wbarker_19 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Perfect for : Children's reading, encouraging reading, group readingIn a nutshell: This is a great fantasy/holiday book for children and adults alike. The characters are fun and enjoyable, and the settings are well-written. Children will love to read this book and visualize the different towns, and they will likely add their own stories to the tale after reading the book. Additionally, the author has done a great job of making the children and dogs the heroes of the story, and adding little bits of responsibility throughout the book. Read the book over and over to peel back the layers and see something new! The book contains 13 wonderfully drawn illustrations (black and white), and excerpts from the first two books.Extended Review: A fun and easy read that will engage both children and adults alike. The story is made up of Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves, adults, children and dogs. The author does a great job of weaving the story, creating a world that children will be able to dream about even when they aren't reading.As a special side note, the books are being used in Therapy Dog Programs in at least five states, with facilitators providing wonderful feedback about the children's interest in reading, and the benefit of the children reading to dogs, who don't judge the reader, allowing them to read without fear of making mistakes. Visit their blog here.Characters: Fun and well-thought-out. The author has included a list of characters in the front of the book to help keep humans/elves and dogs straight!Story-Line: With teamwork and a good plan, the children and dogs work together to help save Christmas (Dasher and Dancer - two of Santa's reindeer are missing, and Santa can't deliver presents without them).Readability: Easy to read, each chapter has a good breaking point.Illustrations: The inner black and white illustrations are very well-done, and will help the readers to visualize the story. I was a little disappointed in the cover, feeling that it could have been a little more professional with the printing (the illustrations are nice).Overall: A fun story for the whole family that will encourage children to read and dream!

[lisalouhoo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Snow Valley Heroes is the third volume of the Planet of The Dogs books. I have not read the first two books, but this book is able to stand on its own. The beginning of the book explains what the books are about:"Long, Long ago there were no dogs on planet earth. In those days dogs lived on their own planet in peace and happiness.The Planet of the Dogs series of books tells the stories of how dogs first came to our planet. They came to teach people about loyalty and love, and to help them find peace. "In Snow Valley Heroes the dogs have a great and important challenge.The King of the North, full of revenge and hatred for having been banishedto the ice castle, has stolen two of Santa's reindeer. His goal: ruinChristmas for everyone. The dogs, on their own planet, are alerted to this near tragedy, and send down a group of dogs from their own Snow Valley, who are used to the snow and the cold, to deal with the situation. This was a great story. It has much going for it: Christmas that needs saving; dog heroes working with humans to achieve a peaceful resolution to conflict; great names and customs of the northern tribe of people who live near Santa's village; an icy and cruel heart which is melted by the kindness, love, and companionship of dogs; wonderful soft drawings, capturing the spirit of the dogs and the landscape perfectly; and even a map in the beginning to help visualization of this land.I very much enjoyed the adventure and spirit of this book, and plan on adding it to our list of Christmas books read each year to help us get in the spirit of the holidays. While this book had many great lessons to teach, they were so buried in the plot and excitement of the story, that they did not come out preachy or off putting. I recommend this book to children and dog lovers alike

[theancientreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a truly wonderful and unique Christmas story for the whole family. Snow Valley Heroes by Robert J. McCarty and illustrated by Stella Mustanoja McCarty is the third offering in series; “Plant of the Dogs.” What an imagination this team has! There is a planet, inhabited by dogs and from time to time, they intervene in our planets affairs. When we are in trouble, when we need love, understanding, loyalty and so many of the other attributes that dogs posses, and we more or less lack, they come to our rescue. In this latest offering, it seems the wicked King of the North, who has been banished to The Ice Castle, wants revenge and figures the best way to do this is ruin Christmas for everyone. He plots and comes up with the idea of stealing two of Santa Clauses’ Reindeer, thereby putting and end to Christmas for good. The dogs of Dog Planet get word of this, and of course, take action! That, very briefly is the plot.This Christmas story is quite well written. The paragraphs are nice, short and very crisp. Chapters follow a logical order, and are quite easy to follow, which makes this a very good book to read with your child. The author’s imagination is quite broad, but does not get into the realm of being silly, as so many works in this genre have a habit of seeming to sink into. While I grant you that this story is pure fantasy, it is logical fantasy and uses the story of Santa, his elves, real people, and of course the dogs of Planet of the Dogs quite effectively to make a charming and wonderful story. The portrayal of the personalities of the various animals is spot on; with personalities that will be quite familiar to anyone who has ever shared their life with a dog.Dog lovers will appreciate every word of this little book. In addition to being an obvious natural story teller with the ability to write well, the author also, beyond a doubt, know dogs! I have been lucky enough to have had companion animals (dogs) since I was born, have raised dogs, trained dogs, hunted with dogs, lived with dogs, worked with dogs, loved dogs and shared my life with dogs for well over sixty years now. Actually, truth be told, I like dogs more than I like most people! Trust me…this author knows dogs! The art work in this book, by Stella McCarty, is a marvel to they eye. Her soft black and white drawings capture the mood and essence of the story line perfectly. While being extremely detailed, they have a misty, mystical quality about them that make them a pleasure to look at. They are the type of drawing that would be wonderful to have framed an on display in your home. She is a very skilled artist indeed!Now this is the third book in a series, but fear not! This book can be read and a stand alone. The author has been kind enough to add short summations of the first two books to the back of this one and the reader can be brought up to snuff quite quickly by giving these brief overviews a quick read. Overall, this is a very good Christmas read; actually a read for anytime and it is an ideal book to snuggle up with the little ones on a cold winter night and simply enjoy. Recommend this one quite highly! Don BlankenshipThe Ozarks