Jacob Held ‘15 always felt that he had a greater creative side just waiting to be unlocked. Graduating with an Animal Science degree and going on to become a veterinarian in rural Massachusetts, Held would often reminisce about the joy he found in writing poems to his grandfather as a child. Little did he know that years later, he would discover a way to combine both his creative and professional passions.
“I was at a veterinary conference and the speaker, Dr. Cherise Roth, was talking about how she just wrote a children’s book and the concept absolutely captivated my attention,” said Held. “It felt like this was something original I could do for my two kids while also teaching people some essentials about pet care.”
The end result was Held self-publishing and financing the creation of “The Itchiest Dog,” the story of Benji the Basenji, who has a mysterious ailment that needs to be remedied. The book, while intended for children and families, can easily be enjoyed by people of all ages. However, it was clear to Held that he wanted it to be “a guide for kids who are interested in the veterinary field, to provide them a glimpse of what it’s like to care for animals and pets.”
Held flexes his poetic prowess throughout the book, aided by illustrations courtesy of Lauren Austin (based out of Wiltshire, England). The two connected by happenstance via Austin’s Etsy shop. But the book goes beyond just being a cute story with charming rhymes and nice drawings. Held provides the reader with some basic but very important lessons in handling common pet illnesses along with a mini-workbook section at the end for further learning engagement.
Through its emphasis on education, Held hopes the book will be embraced by teachers in the classroom and by veterinarians to leave in their offices for kids to read. “There’s not a lot of literature out there for children to model the realities of veterinary medicine and what that future could look like,” said Held. “My hope is they feel like it is an achievable dream after reading the book.”
by Andrew Muir