Addie and that Rambunctious Dog: From Fear to Furry Friendships

Is your child scared of dogs? Does your child refuse to go places because a dog might be there? Does your child cry, scream, tremble, or run away at the sight of a dog?

• After getting knocked down by a large dog, Addie becomes terrified of all dogs, big or little. With the help of her parents, her older brother, a dog trainer, and lots of gentle dogs, Addie goes through a series of research-based cognitive-behavioral games and activities that help her bravely face her fear of dogs.

• Addie learns step by step how to approach dogs and discovers how to transform her phobia of dogs into lasting friendships with dogs. She also discovers that sometimes a big brother can be helpful.

• The parent section (in the Appendix) explains how to use simple but powerful cognitive-behavioral techniques for overcoming fear of dogs that are modeled by Addie in the children's book.
  
  If your child is afraid to be around dogs, let Addie and that Rambunctious Dog help you to help your child move from a fear of dogs to friendships with dogs.

Mary Coffman and Thomas Ollendick are co-authors of Addie and that Rambunctious Dog: From Fear to Furry Friendships. The illustrator, D.C. Dusevitch, created many beautiful illustrations to help the book come alive for children.

Mary Coffman, a retired National Certified Counselor®,  was involved for years in research on the use of books for children with fears and phobia and has been licensed for many years in Florida and South Carolina. She is the author of Uncle Lightfoot, Flip That Switch: Overcoming Fear of the  Dark, which was researched at four universities during its development and found to be effective for children with nighttime fears. She currently lives in Minnesota and is grateful for all the dogs whose lives she has shared!

Dr. Thomas Ollendick is a University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychology and previous Director of the Child Study Center at Virginia Tech. He has written or edited numerous journal articles and professional books, many of which address fears and phobias in children. He has worked with numerous children who had dog phobias, using cognitive-behavioral procedures that serve as a foundation for this book. He currently lives in Virginia. He, too, values all the dogs that have been a part of his life as a child and into his adulthood!

Dianne Dusevitch is an illustrator, designer, author, and marketing consultant.  She gained valuable experience working for over 20 years in a newspaper setting. She currently lives in Florida but spends part of the  year in Colorado. Her illustrations are vibrant, playful --  and often humorous. She also illustrated Uncle Lightfoot, Flip That Switch: Overcoming Fear of the Dark.