Birdie & Harlow Life, loss, and loving my dog so much I didn't want kids (-- until I did)

Adding a baby to one's family is a life-changing moment, especially if the would-be parent already feels full. In this book, Wolfe describes in a mostly lighthearted, sometimes heavy manner how her world shifted as soon as she became a parent--a dog parent, that is--to Harlow, whom the author credits with changing her life. Focusing on all of the ups and downs of loving a pet and her journey toward motherhood with the birth of her human baby, Birdy, this book demonstrates that there is no one right way to do things. Wolfe does not hold back in her descriptions of how anxiety can be all-consuming and how a pregnancy can hinder one's mental and physical health, even with love and support from family. This book is also a love story dedicated to Harlow and to all the pets that have gotten people through difficult periods of life. VERDICT This book is a crucial read for those who have ever loved a pet deeply and for those looking for a narrative about the importance of connections and relationships, especially the unexpected ones.--Leah Fitzgerald

How the author's love for her dog changed her life. Wolfe makes an engaging book debut with a lighthearted memoir of her tender relationship with her dog, Harlow, and her rocky path to becoming a mother. In 2010, she bought a vizsla puppy as a gift for her boyfriend--and husband-to-be--Chris, to celebrate their two-year anniversary. Chris was delighted, and Wolfe even more so. "Something about bringing Harlow into my life opened up a part of me that made me so much more sensitive to everything," she writes. With various jobs that included being a high school recruiter for a culinary school and selling graphic T-shirts and sweatshirts, Wolfe was able to enjoy Harlow's exuberance as he grew from puppyhood. "For the first few weeks," she writes, "there was a bit of a power "struggle as to who got to walk whom, but in the end, we both decided it was best if Har walked me, especially as he grew bigger and stronger." At one point, she got a job that required her to work in an office, which meant Harlow needed to be sequestered in a crate. "The days I spent in a cubicle making sales calls knowing Har was at home locked in a crate," she confesses, "made me feel like I too was locked in a crate." Both of them preferred walks in the park, so she quit. Harlow became her friend, companion, and confidant: The author peppers the text with their conversations as Harlow observes, and comments wryly on, Wolfe's life. She and Chris married, and soon after they tentatively decided to start "trying," she became pregnant. The author candidly reveals her anxieties about motherhood and the physical and emotional tolls of pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for an infant. One of her anxieties, unsurprisingly, was how Harlow would respond to a baby--but she needn't have worried. A sweet homage to a beloved pet. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.