Berta

Berta the dachshund is easy to love. She sleeps a lot and doesn’t let anything bother her — not even being called a “sausage dog” by Margery Miller’s best friend Rosalind. Margery knows that one day Berta will do something remarkable. And she does. It starts in early spring, when Berta becomes fascinated by the newborn chicks Mr. Miller brings home to raise. Berta’s interest increases when piglets are born in the barn, a baby kitten arrives, and the Millers are given a newborn lamb to raise when its mother refuses to care for it. Berta becomes a maternal sentry, barking when Patrick the lamb needs to be fed and protecting him from any perceived threat. At last the mystery is solved: Berta wants to be a mother, and she’s found a baby to look after. The question now is, how will Berta react when the Millers decide to teach Patrick that he’s a sheep, not a dachshund? Filled with lively line drawings and beautifully written by award-winning author Celia Barker Lottridge, Berta is an ideal chapter book for beginning readers.