Love's Little Feet
Why Can't I Shake Your Paw Anymore?
Grades 1–3 | Early Elementary
A Lesson in Life Series
Coming Soon from Legacy Tail Press!
Meet Rusty
Rusty was a little long-haired dachshund with a big personality and an even bigger place in one little girl’s heart.
He loved playing, learning tricks, and greeting Sarah when she came home from school.
Together they shared adventures, celebrated accomplishments, and created memories that would last a lifetime.
But what happens when a beloved companion is no longer there to greet us?
Love’s Little Feet: Why Can’t I Shake Your Paw Anymore? gently opens the door to conversations about love, loss, and the memories we carry in our hearts.
Inspired by a true childhood experience, the illustrated story invites children and the adults who love them to explore difficult feelings together.
A Glimpse Inside Rusty’s World
Every little memory tells a story.
From the excitement of coming home from school to the pride of winning a blue ribbon, Sarah and Rusty shared moments that would become treasured memories.
Some of the smallest moments leave the biggest memories!
Little Hearts Have Big Feelings
Helping children find the words for loss
Children experience grief, too.
Sometimes their questions are simple:
"Where did Rusty go?"
"Why can't I play with him anymore?"
"Will I ever see him again?"
But behind those questions may be feelings they don't yet know how to describe.
When a beloved pet dies, children may experience sadness, confusion, anger, guilt, or even moments of happiness while remembering their friend.
There is no single correct way to grieve.
Love's Little Feet: Why Can't I Shake Your Paw Anymore? introduces young readers to Sarah, a little girl, and Rusty, the dachshund who filled her childhood with love, laughter, and treasured memories.
Through their story, children and adults are invited to explore feelings together.
Sometimes a child doesn't need an explanation right away.
Sometimes they simply need someone willing to listen.
Because little hearts have big feelings, and every feeling deserves to be heard.
Coming Soon from Legacy Tail Press, LLC
A Lesson in Life Series
You Matter!
The Questions Children Carry
When Children Ask Difficult Questions
Sometimes the most important thing we can do is listen.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Could I have made Rusty better?"
"Why couldn't he stay?"
Children sometimes ask questions about death that adults find difficult to answer.
And sometimes they don't ask at all.
They may quietly wonder whether something they said, thought, or did caused their beloved companion to die.
Those unanswered questions can become burdens children carry long after the loss.
Love's Little Feet: Why Can't I Shake Your Paw Anymore? was written to help open those conversations.
Through Sarah's experiences with Rusty, children can begin to recognize their own feelings and discover that they are not alone in having difficult questions.
Adults don't need to have every answer.
They can offer reassurance, explain what happened in simple, honest, age-appropriate language, and make room for questions that may arise again later.
A child who feels safe asking questions is more likely to share the feelings behind them.
We cannot take away every sadness. But we can help children understand that they do not have to carry it alone.
Coming Soon from Legacy Tail Press, LLC
A Lesson in Life Series
YOU MATTER!
