As you read this, I will have just returned my son’s dog, whom I had the pleasure of dog-sitting for the cold and snowy month of February. We have romped up and down the hills of East
Andover, chasing “ball” and doing half-pipes on the snow banks, and although my jacket pocket will no longer smell like bacon treats, I have enjoyed every minute. She has put me in mind of
the Mo Willems’ story of “City Dog, Country Frog,” a wonderfully goofy rendition of animal friendship. “I Walk with Vanessa” is another children’s story of friendship, especially relevant at a
time when we need to celebrate differences by sharing and caring. There are no words in this picture book, just colorful illustrations that depict the recognition of a need to pull together and
be friends with one and all.  As the “narrator” picks up Vanessa to walk to school, other children join them until they arrive en masse and in united colors. It’s a great little tale for our times.

At the other end of the spectrum is Mary Pipher, author of “Reviving Ophelia” and renowned researcher on girls and women in society. Her new book, “Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age,” became an instant bestseller. Even though the title pretty much says it all, I’ll also add that Pipher’s take on life after the ‘60s includes a heavy dose of common sense with matching amounts of hope and humor.

One final book: Louise Penny’s latest, “Kingdom of the Blind,” has the reader following Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surete du Quebec, as he is forced to choose the good of the
community over the welfare of an individual. Granted, the decision was a consequence of his own actions in bringing down a drug cartel, but nearing the end of his career in law enforcement, he, like Pipher, must reckon with the struggles and joys of aging in a world that seems to heavily favor the inexperience of youth.