Sparky's Walk

For Sparky, a lovable pointer/pit bull mix who narrowly escaped a death sentence in a city pound, her nightly walk is anything but uneventful.

What should be just a leisurely jaunt around her neighborhood and a prelude to a good night's sleep turns into a memorable journey, with surprises, both good and bad, lurking around every corner. Rabbits and raccoons, bats and cats, they all cross Sparky's path this night.

"Sparky's Walk" is targeted for beginning readers. The 24-page bedtime story is brought to life by quick-paced rhymes by Rick Arruzza and striking illustrations by Pilar Newton, whose credits include Nickelodeon (Rocket Power books), Cartoon Network (Courage the Cowardly Dog) and MTV (Daria).

The full-color cover draws the young readers into the story, and the black-and-white illustrations inside follow Sparky's every move and also are great for coloring. A map that tracks Sparky's path around her neighborhood adds to the enjoyment of the story.

In addition, each copy of "Sparky's Walk" is "autographed" with a stamp of Sparky's actual paw print!

Sparky's Real-Life Story

Despite her resemblance to a Dalmatian, Sparky actually is a pit bull/pointer mix, as well as a very lucky dog. Early in her life, Sparky narrowly escaped a death sentence at a New York City pound thanks to the efforts of the Adopt-a-Dog animal rescue agency and the kindness of a kennel worker.

At this city pound, the number of homeless animals is overwhelming, and many dogs are euthanized within two days of their arrival. Luckily, Sparky's wagging tail and happy demeanor worked their magic on a kennel worker, who fell in love with Sparky and decided to hide her. He also secretly kept changing Sparky's arrival date to buy her more time until Adopt-a-Dog finally came to claim her.

Sparky now lives the good life in Stamford, CT, with her adopted family, as well as with Speedy the turtle, Buddy and Gimpy the gerbils, and two frogs, Ali and Casey.

Note: $1 from the sale of each book will be donated to Adopt-a-Dog, a not-for-profit rescue agency based in Greenwich, CT.