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Every time you go away from home for a night or a weekend, there are a few important things you always pack.

You take a toothbrush. You take your jammies. You probably take a change of clothes and a favorite toy or a book.

And maybe you’re tempted to pack up your dog, cat, or hamster. You miss your pet when you’re gone. Can you take him when you leave home?

James figured he was better off leaving Zeus behind when he ran away from Master Graham’s farm.

In the new book “Night Running: How James Escaped with the Help of His Faithful Dog” by Elisa Carbone, illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Zeus had other ideas.

When James told Zeus that he was fixing to run away, old Zeus was sad. Who would track raccoons with him? Who would join Zeus on hunts? It didn’t matter, because James was done being a slave.

But James didn’t want to run away alone, so he invited his friend, Levi, to join him. Zeus, though … Zeus was going to have to stay behind. That old hound was always hungry and noisy. A boy can’t have that when he needs to flee in secret.

On the night of the full moon, James ran through the field. Zeus didn’t follow him. No, Zeus ran ahead, howling and loud. He tried to warn James that there was danger there, but James ran right into it.

Two men captured James and tied him up. Master Graham would be happy to have his runaway slave back. But James was smart. He out-waited and outwitted the men, and he and Zeus ran some more.

Then, just as James thought it safe to rest, Zeus started to growl. James was fiery mad, but not for long. Master Graham’s dogs were coming — fast. Zeus killed the dogs and the two ran on until they came to a river.

Finding a rickety old boat, James told his friend goodbye. He set out for freedom on the other side of the river, and he left Zeus behind. A boat with holes can’t hold a wiggly hound who won’t stay still.

A boat with holes can’t hold a boy on the run, either.

Every now and then, I find a kids’ book that I just want to read and read and turn around and read again. “Night Running” is one of those.

Based on a true story that author Elisa Carbone found while doing research, this book about James and Zeus will captivate children from the very first page. Carbone tells the tale with just the right amount of action, fear, heartbreak and danger, and she leaves little readers with a happy ending. Artist E.B. Lewis’ watercolors will keep even the smallest child interested in this wonderful book about friendship, love, and courage.

For kids ages 4 to 8 and for dog lovers of every size, “Night Running” is a welcome addition to any bookshelf. Pick up a copy and pack it away for the next trip, special event, or rainy-day readfest.

The second you come home, you’re greeted by your furry roommate. Whether it’s a kittyface rub against the cuff of your pants, happy chirring from a cage, the shake of a mane, or a tail that’s wagging at the speed of light, you know you’re loved, you’re needed, and someone couldn’t wait to have you home.

As much as pets need us to care for them, we need them for our well-being says author Sharon Sakson. In her new book “Paws & Effect” she writes about dogs who have healed their friends, inside and out.

When Sakson was a seventh-grader, she says her mother took to bed ill and never recovered. Sakson’s stoic father bought Sakson a dog and when the puppy was killed, he got her another. She remembers how bereft she was and she felt suicidal until she realized that her dog needed her. She had to live for the sake of her pet.

These memories and her experiences with her Whippets and Griffies spurred Sakson to write “Paws & Reflect”, her previous book on the subject. “Paws & Effect” follows Sakson’s further explorations on our need for canine companionship.

Scientists had often wondered about canine domestication. It was easy to figure out how dogs moved near human campfires, but were they just hangers-on or were they beloved members of the family even then? In an ancient grave, they found their answer with the bones of an old woman. She had been buried with her hand lovingly wrapped around the body of her small puppy.

It seems that we need dogs, not just for their companionship, but for their healing. Sakson talked with a woman who breeds Xolo dogs, an ancient Mexican breed. These tiny, eager little pooches with their warm, nearly-hairless bodies are helping arthritis sufferers and those stricken with physical pain.

But dogs don’t just heal bodies. They heal minds as well, as Sakson shows. She visited PAWS, a San Francisco group that helps keep dogs with their ill, aged, or poverty-stricken owners. She talked with a woman who runs a school for service dogs and their instructors. She introduces readers to a man who learned the calming effect dogs have on abused and frightened children. She visited dogs that detect cancer and seizures, and she met a soldier who brought his K-9 buddy home from the war.

When pet owners get together, nobody can resist sharing stories, and although there’s nothing new to learn, it’s still fun.

“Paws & Effect” is a lot like that. Author Sharon Sakson breeds Whippets and Brussels Griffons, and it’s obvious that she loves dogs. Like a true canine connoisseur, she shares an abundance of tales about people who work with dogs, learn from dogs, and a few stories of folks who weren’t “dog people” but quickly became converts when they found just the right pup.

“Paws & Effect” is a slim book, but it’s packed with some gigantic stories. If you share your life with a dog, it’s definitely something you’ll want to dig up.

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The Bookworm is Terri Schlichenmeyer. Terri has been reading since she was 3 years old and she never goes anywhere without a book. She lives on a hill in Wisconsin with two dogs and 11,000 books.