The Adventures of Salt and Soap at Grand Canyon. This item is unavailable.The Adventures of Salt and Soap at Grand Canyon

The Adventures of Salt and Soap at Grand Canyon is the true story of two puppies who wandered into the Grand Canyon and experienced great adventures—multiple rim-to-river hikes, a river trip and a helicopter ride—while ultimately snuggling their way into park rangers’ hearts. Salt and Soap didn’t know they weren’t allowed below the rim of the Grand Canyon—they were just puppies! Their curiosity and love of human companionship carried them through rugged hikes, riverside camping in a violent thunderstorm, the unpredictable rapids of the mighty Colorado River, ranger patrols at Phantom Ranch at the bottom of the canyon, a harrowing helicopter ride back to the rim, and a new life on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Told with compassion and a sense of wonder by the park ranger who adopted the pups, this one-of-a-kind canine adventure tale reveals the kindness of strangers, the ruggedness of the Grand Canyon, and the joy two wiggly, perpetually happy puppies can bring to everyone they encounter.

Grade 2–4—Salt and Soap were just puppies when they were found by two National Park Service rangers at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Undaunted, the dogs followed the workers into the canyon and stayed the night with them. They followed other rangers back up, only to return the next day. Then some white-water rafters took them aboard. After traveling 80 miles down river, the puppies eventually made it to a ranger station where they were taken in as "lost and found" items. Salt and Soap later rode aboard a Park service helicopter out of the canyon and were adopted by the author, a ranger. While the story is interesting, the present-tense writing reads somewhat awkwardly, and the font is small and occasionally crowded. The bright, detailed acrylic illustrations feature realistic landscapes, but many of the characters (human and animal) appear somewhat distorted, having disproportionately large noses, ears, lips, and/or eyes. This tale will be of regional interest, but it's an additional purchase elsewhere.—Lisa Crandall, formerly at Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI END