A Friend for Dutch

A Friend for Dutch

A Friend for Dutch is a children's book about an English mastiff named Dutch who is just too big to play with many other animals. He roams around a farm to find other animals he can fit in with and play the same way they do. He finds himself unsuccessful because of his large size until he ultimately befriends a Shetland pony named Charlie who has a similar problem. The pair end up becoming perfect playmates. The book describes attributes of various animals given their shape, size and abilities and the ongoing theme that Dutch is just too big to fit in with many of the animals. It demonstrates that with persistence, everyone can eventually find a place they fit in. It also demonstrates to the reader that big dogs can be gentle dogs. Alicia grew up in the small town of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. As a child, she had always loved writing short stories and she would read them out loud to her grandmother after school. Alicia grew up to become a pediatric nurse at Boston Children's Hospital. She is passionate about her work and the connections she makes with her patients and their families. She currently resides in the Boston suburbs with her husband, two children and her black Labrador retriever, Josey Wales. "A Friend for Dutch" came to life while Alicia was on maternity leave with her son. Dutch is based on a real English Mastiff named Linus. Linus belonged to her father, and he was truly a "gentle giant," weighing in at 299 pounds. Karen Pennelli, a good friend and neighbor, read Alicia's book and fell in love with the story line. She felt strongly that it needed to be published. She completed the initial editing and created the illustrations with the assistance of AI. She brought "A Friend for Dutch" to life. If not for Karen, it would still be sitting in a folder in Alicia's desk drawer.