The Winners Walk by Nancy Ruth Patterson If you have the strong desire to succeed, one day you will, by the strange turn of the events and by the grace of God.
This is the moral of the story of Case Callahan. Everyone else in his family is winning. His mother is a popular stage actress, father is a famous show-jumper, and his sister is an ace, state level swimmer. How the appreciating spectators applaud each time they emerge as victors in their respective fields! Case Callahan too wishes to be a winner in the talent show, the junior horse show, but fails and he is losing confidence with a series of setbacks. His craving for applauds and appreciation remains unfulfilled. Then, an amazing dog shows up in a peculiar place and provides him with new hopes.
He can answer the phone calls and put dishes in the dishwasher. Case names the dog Noah and begins to train him to jump the obstacles. Both of them give sterling performances in the agility contests and come to the limelight in the print media.
People see their pictures in the papers. One day, Noah’s original owner calls. That was something great for Case and for Noah, whom he had trained to be an achiever. He is totally confident that with the help of his dog he can win in the dog show. He realizes the difference in the winning the competitions in the traditional sense and the real win in the competition of life by doing sacrifice, with a heart full of love and eyes full of understanding. This is the story by Nancy Ruth Patterson that details the inner turmoil of a boy, his meeting with the dog and how he beats the obstacles and emerges victorious in the end. His days of glory are however short-lived, when Case comes o know that Noah is a service dog to a disabled girl, Meg.
Case has to make the difficult but the right decision. Which is more important? His own comforts and glory or the need of the girl! Here is the test for the goodness of Case’s heart! His concern for the welfare of the physically challenged is the highlight of the story. Black and white water color illustrations add to the beauty of the book. ++++++++ References: Patterson, Nancy Ruth: Book: The Winners Walk. Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)Published: September 2006Grade Range: 2 to 5Age Range: 7 to 10ISBN: 978-0-374-38445-6ISBN-10: 0-374-38445-2128 pages, Black-and-white pictures