Matty Giuliano’s second book, Stubby’s Story, is a far cry from his first, My Name is Musky and geared to a larger audience including older children and adults.
The in depth short story that highlights the need to change regulations on using animals for scientific research is, like My Name is Musky, illustrated by the talented Morgan Spicer, who showed a broad talent in bringing Giuliano’s message of euthanasia and animal illnesses to an audience who will remain captivated by her versatility and use of color and facial expressions, on both animals and people.
The story focuses on Stubby, a ferret rescued by Giuliano’s daughter after he escaped from a research and development lab because of his fear of what would be happening to him. Spicer’s dark pages and illustrations with tears and sadness bring out the message of desperation Giuliano wants to depict, and brightens considerably towards the end when Barbara at the SPCA and Victoria meet up at the SPCA with Musky, the first rescued ferret, and the rest all blends into a charming happy ending.
While the story is a quick read, charming, and fun to see all the illustrations, the final page after the story’s conclusion, cites animal testing stats that show animal testing of drugs is only 5 percent effective when it comes to the human trials that follow. Giuliano also includes ways to put an end to animal testing, including writing to Congressmen calling for funds to be used to develop alternatives to animal testing that would be more effective for humans and less harmful to animals. Giuliano also suggests checking out cosmetics, household cleaners and personal care products and only purchases those that are certified “cruelty free.”
The book is available from either Guiliano or Spicer, as well as on Facebook and Instagram.
