Very rushed book without context. This book had the potential to be book.
It starts with a girl having fun with her dog, then she sees a sad boy who she tells that her dog is blind (which we do not know until this point) and not only is it now blind but it can all the sudden grant wishes too. The boy wishes to find a hat he lost. When the dog grants the wish we learn the bar is special because it belonged to a Tuskegee airman (with no context for readers as to who they are). This book felt like it jumped to “cool” pieces rather suddenly and without any explanation or background I would recommend this book give an introduction to the dog being blind and also an explanation by the boy as to why his hat is so special. As the book is currently it would be too complicated and confusing for a young elementary student to read independently and understand the importance. This book also mentions it is a rhyming book. Very few rhyming portions were found throughout and not noticeable for young readers.
Thank you Cellar of Purple and NetGalley for an advanced e-reader copy of this book.

This seems to be a new start to a series that will follow London and her dog, Joy.

It’s stated that the reading age is 6-10, but I’d say it’s more like 4-7.

What I enjoyed:
~ that Joy does not let her blindness take away from her love of helping
~ the rhyming is easy to follow along with
~ the nod to Tuskegee Airmen, who I was not familiar with, so I looked it up ~ see a fact below
~ London has found a new friend

What I would have liked to have seen:
~ Joy strapped on the swing somehow ~ I don't want children reading this to think a dog would just sit on their lap if they tried this.
~ I don't see any parental supervision in the park, but I like that it's fenced in.
~ although it might have been hard to rhyme it into the story, a small fact about who the Tuskegee Airmen were would be a good learning opportunity. Yes, I know children this age might not retain this information, but is it ever too young to learn something new?

Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African American military pilots (fighter and bomber) and airmen who fought in World War II. Before the Tuskegee Airmen, no African-American had been a U.S. military pilot. In 1917, African-American men had tried to become aerial observers but were rejected. Finally, on 3 April 1939, Appropriations Bill Public Law 18 was passed by Congress containing an amendment by Senator Harry H. Schwartz designating funds for training African-American pilots. They formed the 332d Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group (Medium) of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF).

The illustrations by Whimsical Designs by CJ were very vibrant. I liked the shadowing of Joy when she was dancing and spinning around, which added a little extra fun to my reading experience.

Overall, a cute little heartwarming story about how kindness and helping others can lead to new friendships.

The colorful illustrations will be sure to engage young readers as they follow the tale of a girl and her blind dog. This story shows children the importance of caring and kindness are the path towards making new friends.

I love this book. Its potray a dog with disability but the dog is nice and help everyone. Good story' to raise disability i guess

This rhyming children's book is about a young girl named London and her disabled dog. In the story, a little boy has lost his hat and can London save the day? I really enjoyed the story. The illustrations were colorful, realistic, and very vivid. The theme is kindness and friendship. I love the cover and it collaborates with the storyline. I recommend this to elementary kids. I give this book four stars.

I loved the illustrations. They were brightly coloured and the dog is very cute. I do love the message the author is portraying however, over all, the book was pretty flat. I didn’t really understand where the spinning around fit in, it almost seemed too random. I also think there could have been a more realistic way of the dog finding the boy’s hat.

Swinging for Joy was a nice, quick read. The illustration was really bright, happy, and colorful. The characters were very cute though I did struggle to connect the narration to the characters. This book features inclusive language and I can really see that the internet was to gives message of friendship, helping others, and cherishing our history. I feel that message came across to me as an adult but for a child at the level this is written for, it may not translate. The story felt as if it should have been written for an older age group with a longer story so that it could fully be appreciated by its audience.

This is a cute story about London and her dog, Joy. I wish there had been more to the plot, but it was still an engaging story with beautiful illustrations!

This is one of those books that makes you simply feel good about life. While seemingly a sweet, simple story on the surface, it leaves you with several important messages, too. First, just because someone or something, in this case the dog Joy, has a disability, it doesn't mean they don't have other strengths. It also reminds us of the importance of not just knowing our family history but acknowledging and respecting it. Another subtle message is opening ourselves up to others and sensing their needs as well as our own.

My only concern/wish is that I wonder if a bit more info might be needed by young readers unfamiliar with the important role of the Tuskegee Airmen? While there is a rather dreamlike picture depicting planes and an obviously black man in uniform, no other info is given. The young boy's admiration and respect for his grandfather is apparent, so at least it's obvious being a Tuskegee Airman was somehow of importance, at least. As the boy notes, he can now wear a bit of his family heritage. Joy's "sightless search", as the author nicely phrases it, makes that possible.

The illustrations are colorful and detailed without going overboard. We do see children of different races in them, a nice, subtle touch, including an older gentleman sitting on a park bench, adding another meaningful touch. As a dog person, I was glad to see dog Joy depicted wearing both a collar and tag, both important things pet owners need to take responsibility for, especially if your pet is blind like Joy. Joy's blindness didn't seem to slow her down, however, again demonstrating that just because we're lacking in one respect doesn't mean we don't have other strengths.

Finally, as a former teacher, I could quickly envision many discussions emerging from the reading of this book. First, how does the illustrator show us Joy is blind without it being obvious? What might your need to know to own a pet of any kind with a disability? Have you ever taken your dog/pet on a swing? How or why does one choose a name for a pet? What lesson might London's new friend learn from his experience losing a treasured possession? What was the importance of the Tuskegee Airman group? How do you think he had the hat with him at the park anyway? What wish would you make to Joy? What.... well, so many other possible chances to talk, really talk to each other as the book is read. Thank you#NetGalley and #CellarOfPurple for allowing me to meet Joy and her girl, London. They made me smile.

This rhyming picture book. tells the story of a girl and her blind dog who help a boy find his lost hat that belonged to his grandfather. It is a nice story that reminds readers to help others, love and care for animals and that disability does not always mean inability. I liked the story, but didn't think it needed to rhyme and also didn't know what a Tuskegee Airman was, I'm assuming it had something to do with an army veteran, but I don't know that all children reading this book would know what that was or really understand the significance of the hat without more context. The illustrations are bright and beautiful and the font is fairly large and clear. I think this would be a nice book for readers in the age 6-9 range. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

I think this book had potential, but the plot did not transition well. There were also a lot of incomplete sentences and grammar mistakes. The graphics were colorful and bright.

This is such an amazing storybook about a little girl and her dog. They find a little boy feeling low in the park. How the little girl introduces her dog and helps the boy is everything we need to feel better today! This is such a positive story for kids and adults alike.

Love the colourful illustrations. Well done.

Thank you, Cellar of Purple, for the advance reading copy.