I really enjoyed the impact Bailey had on pouring her emotions into doing a good deed for her community. This was a touching story and great for upper elementary ages children. I did order a copy of this book for the library I work at.

This fits perfectly into any unit about doing what’s right when no one else will! I can’t wait to get a copy into my students’ hands!


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

After Bailey's dog gets hurt on trash at the creek, she decides to do something about it. While cleaning up, she meets Israel and he helps her organize a cleaning day for the creek.
Opinion
This is a cute children's book meant for upper elementary or lower middle school. It is motivational in that it shows how kids can make a difference in their community. Bailey goes through a range of emotions while her dog is sick and her dad is distant. With a happy ending, I would let any child read this book. I love the tie in to animals (and insects with Israel.) This makes it that much more exciting for kids.
Many thanks to Net Galley and to Text Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this book.

I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

Bailey is trying to hold things together. Her mom loved nature, loved birds, and loved life, until she died of cancer. Now her father is grieving and depressed, and Bailey is trying to make things better. When her dog Sheba swallows a piece of glass from the creek and is at the vet, Bailey tries to clean things up, and meets Israel, a homeschooled kid who loves nature, too.

Bailey's story is real and authentic. The grief over her mother and fear for her dog is real, as is her effort to throw herself into the creek clean up to make one thing in her life better. The Austrailan setting and animals provide a beautiful backdrop for this story for young activists, and, for kids outside of Australia, will likely lead them to want to look up some of the amazing animals...and maybe Anzac biscuits and pavlova.

This is a good middle grades book that will have a lot of appeal to animal loving kids. It's also nice to see a positive portrayal of homeschooling as a way for kids to explore individual interests.

I wanted to give Bailey Finch a big hug. Several hugs, actually, plus some ear scratches to Sheba. Heck, the father needed a few hugs, too, so I guess I spent a good portion of the book imagining a hug-fest. 

Bailey's mom has died of cancer, leaving the family adrift in grief. Her father is lost in his grief, barely acknowledging Bailey. Too young to grasp how grief works, she feels he no longer cares. She tries hard to bring him out of his grief but feels her words don't penetrate and that he no longer seems to even see her. He just sits and stares at the television or the photo of her mom on the mantle. She fears he doesn't care about her.

Unable to reach through her father's grief, Bailey clings to her dog Sheba all the more. Sheba was a gift to Bailey from her mom on the day she learned her mom had cancer, so when Sheba becomes seriously ill, Bailey feels helpless. Helpless and alone. But, she isn't alone. She has a neighbor that cares, another subtle reminder to readers that one person can make a difference, and finds a sense of purpose when she teams up with a friend, Israel, to convince the town to clean up the creek where her beloved dog got into something harmful. It was one of her mother's favorite places.

Quite frankly, I cuddled my own dog closer as I read of Sheba's stay at the vet hospital. Yet, this story is more than a story about Bailey spear-heading a town clean-up of the creek and her grief. It's a reminder to us that we can all make a difference, however small. In the process of reading you'll encounter grief and loneliness, not to mention the role misunderstanding such intense emotions can make, but hope.

Thanks #NetGalley and #TextPublishing - #TextPublishingCompany for introducing me to Bailey and her dad, not to mention Sheba. This is a lovely story that reminds us not only do we all grieve differently but that while living isn't easy, we can all make a difference. Now I need to go hug my dog.

I understand that this book is trying to teach children the importance of taking care of the environment, but there are a lot of things that Bailey does in this book that would not be a good impact on the children this book is intended for.
Bailey frequently lies to her father and other adults, claiming she's sick and can't go to school and travels to multiple places around town not only without an adult with her but without even her father's knowledge of where she is. She and her friend also stole balloons from a child's birthday party to pop and dispose of them because a bird might choke on them.
These actions could have easily been addressed, but by not doing so it leads to the idea that it's okay to lie and sneak around just because you have good intentions.

Bailey Finch Takes a Stand
by Ingrid Laguna is such a great book about finding a best friend and build awareness to the environment

Overall, it was a super cute and inspiring story. I loved that it discussed the concept of grief I wasn’t however a fan of how the daughter lied to her dad without repercussion I think Facebook covers a couple of good topics and will help kids get through grief in different forms,

Bailey Finch Takes a Stand by Ingrid Laguna - 5/5

What a beautiful story! This is an action packed and a heart wrenching story. Bailey has had a rough go at it when her mother passes away from cancer and her father is wasting away on the couch. When Sheba, Bailey's dog, gets injured at the local creek Bailey takes it upon herself to clean the creek up from all the garbage and debris.

I love stories that send positive messages and encourages its readers to take a stand and make a difference in their community.

thank you NetGalley for the ARC.