Book Details:
Book Title: Ralphie, Always Loved by Andrea Yerramilli
Illustrated by: Samantha Van Riet
Category: Children’s Fiction, 32 pages
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Publisher: About Something Good, LLC
Release date: October 28, 2017
Tour dates: April 9 to May 4, 2018
Content Rating: G
Book Description:
This is the story of the life, love, and adventures of a beloved family dog, and how he delighted and touched his family and everyone he met.
Ralphie was born with a heart on his belly.
He loves food, his family, his friends, his neighbors.
He loves pretty much everything and everyone.
And they love him back.
And that’s how it is all through his life.
Read the book and fall in love with him too.
Rambunctious and hyperactive, Ralphie had already been returned to the animal shelter three times, but when Andrea and her husband adopted him and gave him a loving home where he was understood, accepted, and taught, he learned fast. As Ralphie’s human family grew, so did his capacity for love and the ways he could express it. He remained a loving and beloved family member who touched the hearts of the whole neighborhood until he was ready to say goodbye at the grand-old age of sixteen. Ralphie, Always Loved will remind you of all that is good, and reaffirm your belief in love’s power to uplift and transform.
Follow the tour by visiting Andrea Yerramilli’s page on iRead Book Tours.
Ralphie, Always Loved: Questions Selection #4
Q: What are you trying to say with your book?
A: I’m trying to say it’s okay to love even if you have been hurt in the past, or things haven’t gone exactly the way you planned. Keep your heart open and let it lead the way. I’m telling people to look for reasons to love. Pets, especially dogs, show us how love, forgiveness, and living in the moment make our lives richer. I’m hoping this book highlights that.
Q: The book is also about loss and death. How did it feel to write about that?
A: I had started writing this book many years ago, and as the years went by, Ralphie was getting older and I knew I would have to say goodbye. I knew that there were many people like me who have dealt with loss like this in their own lives. It helped when I remembered how Ralphie dealt with the loss of Skipper—the dog we already had when we brought Ralphie home. He was sad; we saw it in his body language. She was his leader and he looked up to her, and suddenly she was gone. I saw him grieve and get over it, and I never saw him being anything but loving to the rest of us, who were also left behind. Now that Ralphie has passed too, I’d like to think that he and Skipper are together again and that she is bossing him around and taking care of him all at the same time!
Q: What did you do after Ralphie passed?
A: I cried and cried. I still do, even a year and a half later. But now with this book and his memories, I’m helping keep his legacy alive. Ralphie has an Instagram account (https://www.instagram.com/ralphiealwaysloved/) that is still active, and through it he is keeping love and hope alive inside me and his friends and followers as well. On the day we got his ashes back, our family made a memory box filled with things that reminded us of him. We told Ralphie stories and laughed and cried. We made donations to dog charities.
Now we look for heart-shaped clouds. The book starts with Ralphie in heaven, painting clouds, and I believe that he is up there again sending us messages of love. We’re always excited to see these special signs from Ralphie.
Q: The book is not just about loss, right?
A: Ralphie, Always Loved is primarily a book about love and hope. It also touches on how faith weaves into the fabric of our lives. This book also helps us focus on finding reasons to stay positive and hopeful, just as Ralphie did. We need more books like it: books that encourage young readers to keep believing and striving to find the good in each other. Those qualities are very much needed in today’s world.
Q: How does the book reflect who you are and what your values are?
A: Ralphie, Always Loved is based on a true story about my dog, who was abandoned not once but three times before we got him. He was hyper and misunderstood. He just needed patience, understanding, and redirection. My family and I did not give up on him, and we were rewarded by an amazing and loving relationship that lasted sixteen years. I guess it wasn’t just Ralphie who had hope; I did too.
Q: What do you most want to be known for?
A: I’d love to be known as a storyteller who makes people think of something positive in today’s world, and who gives them a reason to want to be kind. I want to be a champion of underdogs everywhere and to leave a legacy of love.
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About the Book
“An educational adventure story for young animal lovers that delivers justice where it’s deserved.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Writing is my creative outlet,” says Laurie Hyman, author of Sweet Tales: The Adventures of Brittany and Lace. The children’s series is written from the perspectives of cats, dogs, horses, woodchucks, coyotes, squirrels, crows and various other animals. The stories explore universal themes such as family, friends, bullying, animal cruelty, abandonment and rescue, and the environment. These books will appeal to readers of all ages, says Laurie, who comes from a creative family. Her father was a writer and her brother, David Saperstein, wrote the novel on which the hit movie, Cocoon was based.
About the Book
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