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Raising a hero

Laura Joffe Numeroff - Author

Max’s training involves learning practical tasks and joining Sam on ordinary outings. The story also gives him a small, relatable challenge: resisting the smell of chips while staying beneath a restaurant table.

More about this book

Max is a determined puppy with a lot to learn on his adventure of becoming a service dog. Service dogs are trained to do lots of things, like open doors, turn on lights, and even take off someone s shoes. Max s puppy raiser, Sam, takes him everywhere; on the bus, to puppy kindergarten, and even to restaurants. But it s tough staying underneath the table when the french fries smell so good! Discover all the fun and important ways Max earns his special yellow vest as he gets ready to help someone in need of a true hero.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

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Service dogs· ExplainedTraining· ExplainedAssistance· Explained

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

service dogstrainingassistance

FictionPicture book

Themes in Context

Learning service-dog tasks

Max practises tasks such as opening doors and switching on lights as he prepares to help someone.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The story presents examples of what trained dogs can do as part of Max’s preparation.

Talk about: Which task would you like to learn more about, and how might it help someone?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The story offers a child-friendly way into what service-dog preparation can involve, showing practice as part of a puppy’s everyday routine rather than focusing only on the eventual helping role.

What Deserves Attention

Service dogs and their role in helping someone are central to the story. It may be useful to talk together about the different tasks a trained dog can learn.

A Conversation Worth Having

Which of Max’s training tasks seems most useful to you, and what would you like to know about how a service dog learns it?

Reading Approach

Pause at the examples of Max’s training and invite the child to notice what each task helps with. If they want to know more, explore how service dogs support people with different needs.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Learning service-dog tasks: The specific person Max will help and the full range of tasks are not established here.

Raising a Hero - Laura Numeroff, Sean Hanrahan - Google Books

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Learning service-dog tasks

Raising a hero by Laura Joffe Numeroff | Open Library