Perfect Pairing: Rescue and Jessica by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes

Rescue, the little Labrador pup was a seeing-eye dog dropout.

"The service dog team is better for you," said his trainer.

Rescue didn't want to let anyone down.

And although Rescue didn't yet know it, there was a girl who needed him.

In the same town was a girl in the hospital who had had both legs amputated. While she recovered slowly, Rescue worked hard to learn to do the many things service dogs do.

He fetched all kinds of things.

He even learned how to open doors.

While Rescue was busy learning to push buttons and hold doors open, earning his red distinctive red cape, Jessica was learning how to walk with her prosthetic legs, and when they were finally brought together, it was a perfect match. They learned to do chores at home and play ball in the park together.

"You rescued me," said Jessica.

Jessica Kensky's and Patrick Downes' Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship (Candlewick Press, 2018) is an inspiring, partly-fictionalized story of the service dog who came into their lives after they were injured in the Boston Marathon bombing. Their account, written for early elementary children, doesn't mention the cause of Jessica's injuries, although Boston artist Scott Magoon's delightful illustrations feature sunny scenes of Boston's Public Garden and buildings and shows Jessica walking across the iconic Longfellow Bridge from Cambridge, while below a mother duck does her own "make way for ducklings" as they swim down the Charles River below.

This New York Times best-seller is a good introduction to the subject of disabilities and the various roles of service dogs which kids may see at work from time to time. An appended Author's Note and Acknowledgements fills in with information to answer questions young readers may have about the story. Booklist's starred review calls this book "An inspiring tale of compassion and perseverance."