{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.023529411764705882, 'fraction_numerical': 0.004411764705882353, 'mean_word_length': 4.116541353383458, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
The Dog by H. Mixter

Mixter, Helen. The Dog. Illustrated by Margarita Sada. Greystone Books, 2017.  
In The Dog, Helen Mixter has kept her text brief and simple, and allowed the images to convey the story.  It is a story about a boy who is ill and how much his quality of life is improved by the introduction of a therapy dog.  Margarita Sada’s artwork easily shows the fatigue, sadness and illness of the boy and the unconditional affection of the dog. The dog, who looks like a young golden retriever, is never given a name, perhaps to keep her more generic. She is depicted as having boundless health and energy. She even has rosy cheeks, indicating health. The colours that Sada uses are bright and natural and the pictures will attract and hold the attention of small children. Inspired by a visit to a Vancouver children’s hospice the book gently presents how effective a therapy dog can be for very sick children.  
The Dog would be a good addition to public and school libraries. It would also be an excellent addition to libraries in children’s hospitals. 
Highly recommended:  4 stars out of 4 Reviewer:  Sandy Campbell 
Sandy is a Health Sciences Librarian at the University of Alberta, who has written hundreds of book reviews across many disciplines. Sandy thinks that sharing books with children is one of the greatest gifts anyone can give.  
 