My humans told me that today is what American humans call "Independence Day." That explained all the yummy, charcoal-tinged smells coming from the other yards. Parties!!Aroooooo! It also explained why quite a few humans have put up those funny striped flag-things - and why they're setting off those loud booming fireworks (well, sort of). But. It didn't explain one thing...
What is independence?
Padding over to Allison, I sat up on my hind legs and put a paw on her knee. I needed an answer. Independence. It's a big word for a little pup like me. I tried to ignore the harsh popping BOOMS coming from outside and twitched my ears at Allison. She finally put her ice cream down (out of my reach, drat!) and spoke.
"A lot of fuss, huh Sam? It's an important day, you know. Before the first 'Fourth of July,' Americans weren't really free," Allison said. "Who you would call the 'alpha dog' of a place called England wasn't being nice to humans here. After a group of humans decided they wanted to be in a different pack (or form a different country), they signed a paper saying we would be free. FREE!"
Free?
"Free, puppy! Free! Think of the feeling you get when you stick your head out of the car window, the wind on your ears. Think of how fierce you feel, how wild, how brave! That's what Americans are celebrating," Allison smiled and scratched me behind the ears.
I panted a bit. Freedom sounds pretty good, but on the other paw it also seems kind of scary. The American humans' break from the pack of England humans and their alpha seems like a ruff choice. America was on its own all of a sudden; England wasn't going to watch out for them anymore. They would have to find their own kibble and squeaky toys and take care of the little pups by themselves! On top of everything else, Americans had to fight to stay free, according to Allison. Something called a "war" happened. Lots of humans worked hard to make everybody else safe!
Some dogs and humans are still fighting for our freedom. Howls and honors to you, friends.
I guess freedom is wonderful and scary - and it takes a lot of bravery to get it and hold on to it. In any case, I'm glad that I'm free to hang out with my pack: my family and my friends!
Here I am being Independent with my friend Lizzie. We'll be Independent together!
Anyhow, I'm really excited about this whole Independence idea, so I decided that I'm going to start being more brave. My main problem today was where to start...
Then Allison reminded me that I could begin with my fear of those crazy fireworks. I whimpered at this. I don't like those huge booms and light flashes! They make me jump! However, my humans say that being brave doesn't mean you stop being scared - it just means you don't run away!
To help me understand what facing your fears means, Allison read me a book about some very silly monsters:
Adam Rex's Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich is a book of wacky poems about monsters. Frankenstein's monster makes a sandwich out of the food people throw at him. Dracula has spinach stuck in his canines. The Phantom of the Opera is getting crazy because he has "It's a Small World" in his head, and it won't go away. All of these usually-scary creatures are made comical with terrific illustrations and laugh-out-loud rhymes.
"That's one way to face your fears," Allison murmured. "Use your imagination to turn your fear into something funny."
Woof, I answered. How can I do this?
"Rachel had a good idea," she continued. "You can pretend those booming pops are the pops of a gigantic popcorn machine in the sky. That will make the fireworks less scary!"
Arooooo! Yum. Not a bad idea!
This unique book will satisfy both children (who love monsters and food) and grown-up humans (who Allison says will adore the half-hidden adult jokes and overall humor). The use of different styles of pictures in the book add to my decision: two paws up! I disliked the last poem about Godzilla (it seemed out of place, falling back on "poop" humor), which subtracted a tail wag, but a great read otherwise! Best for grown-up humans and human-pups grades 2-4ish. (Frankenstein Takes the Cake is the sequel, but I did not like it at all - no paws up!)
Off to try the popcorn trip with the fireworks...Happy Independence Day!
Yours in Attempts at Bravery,
Sam I Am
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