Harvey’s Special Mission features a spectacular book cover, wonderful illustrations, and a distinct character in Harvey. Author Robyn Burns starts the story with seven pups from a litter, one of them being Harvey, who has different eye colors. His cozy life has him playing with his six siblings and having a great time. However, his life changes after he meets Mommy Claire, who adopts him into her family. Now, Harvey can no longer play with his siblings because he is a service dog who aids Mommy Claire with her disability. Harvey learns to adapt to his new surroundings and makes friends with Mommy Claire’s children, cats, and the animals on the farm. Mommy Claire takes Harvey with her to school and teaches children about service dogs.

Robyn Burns and Olha Stor deserve tremendous praise for a touching story about the sacrifice that service dogs make to assist their owners. Harvey’s Special Mission is a heartwarming tale that will resonate with readers. The lovely pictures perfectly match the prose. I couldn’t help but feel ambivalent because Harvey had to leave his family to join a new one to help Mommy Claire. It was beautiful to see Harvey on the ranch with the other animals. I could envision him at the ranch looking around with a smile on his face. The conclusion motivated me to do some online research, as I wanted to learn more. The Special Thanks and the About the Author section were the icing on the cake.