PAWS: Hazel Has Her Hands Full

PAWS Hazel Has Her Hands Full is the fourth book in the PAWS graphic novel series and this focuses on Hazel. In this book, summer is coming up and all members of the PAWS team seem to have a busy schedule. They are all looking forward to taking it easy during the summer when it comes to their dog walking business but then an opportunity arises for PAWS to cat-sit. The only one that is available for the job is Hazel, and that should be no problem as this client has a wheelchair accessible home, the only issue is Hazel’s overprotective mother would never allow her to do this on her own. What is Hazel going to do? Will she go against her mother’s wishes and take the job anyway? Will she be able to handle this additional job along with the current dogs she is responsible for walking and her physical therapy appointments?

What I Liked: While you may be worried going into this book if you haven’t read any of the other PAWS books there is nothing to worry about as this book is a great stand alone graphic novel. You don’t really have to know much about the group or the girls to enjoy this book as it introduces you to all of the PAWS team and what they do.

Throughout this book you get to learn more about Hazel who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and uses a wheelchair to get around. Hazel’s mom means well but she is a bit overprotective and doesn’t allow Hazel to do much on her own. She steps in to help her with everything and Hazel has been very understanding of her mother. In this book Hazel learns to speak up for herself and has a conversation with her mother about how she doesn’t believe she can do things but there are times that she can do things on her own and in fact wants to do these things alone.

There are several other side stories that cover other important issues alongside Hazel’s story. Gabi has her cousin visiting from out of town and she lives on a farm so Gabi isn’t too sure what to make of this. This addition adds to the importance of first impressions and the impact that assumptions can have on relationships. Gabi’s cousin assumes that Gabi and her friends will think less of her because of how she lives so she tries to make up for that by making Gabi’s life and home seem boring which hurts her feelings. They are both able to talk about this and come to an understanding that they both were assuming things about one another that were incorrect. Mindy is off to her dad’s place for the summer to meet his new fiance and she is a bit worried about how that will all play out. She ends up having a blast with her and this is the first trip she’s had with her dad in which she found it enjoyable. That storyline shows us that change doesn’t have to be bad and sometimes embracing something new can lead to unexpected things.

Final Verdict: PAWS Hazel Has Her Hands Full is a great stand alone graphic novel that teaches the importance of asking for help and speaking up for yourself. This book is great for children ages 8 and up to see the difficulties someone with a mobility aid may face and also how important inclusion of others is. Adults will enjoy reading this book as it brings back memories of reading the babysitter club books and has images that capture your attention.