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Portia Yvette Clare has been privileged to serve in developing the minds and character of children for over thirty years. A graduate of Duke University and Regent University, she maintains her love of learning and earnestly desires to empower the children who have been entrusted to her care. Simply put, Portia teaches because she values children. Her love of children and family compel her to write stories that will help them to recognize their importance, appreciate their value, and navigate through difficult life experiences. Creative writing has always brought her joy and writing children’s books has been her passion since childhood.
Portia is the only child of the late Randolph George Clare, Jr. and Jane Easterling Clare. She was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. Her family relocated to Bennettsville, South Carolina in 2015, where she and her mother currently reside.
For more information about her books, school visits, presentations, and activities, please visit Portia’s website at portiayclare.com.
Reviewed by Emily-Jane Hills Orford for Readers' Favorite
There is something special about the bond that exists between a dog and its owner. The love that’s shared lasts forever and there's so much we can learn from these four-legged fur-babies that squirm their way into our hearts. Scoopie gets her first puppy when she turns four. It’s a dachshund and she names her Sandy. Scoopie and Sandy do everything together, but when Scoopie and her family move across the country, flying by plane, Sandy is placed in the cargo section of the plane. When the family retrieves Sandy, they notice she is very sick. A visit to the vet reveals that Sandy has epilepsy and she will have seizures for the rest of her life. It’s difficult to let Sandy go when the seizures take her life, and it’s several years before Scoopie can open her heart to another best friend forever puppy.
Portia Y. Clare’s picture book story, Best Friends Forever: A Puppy’s Tale, is a tender, compassionate story about love and loss. The story is told in simple language so a young reader can follow along and the colorful illustrations help move the story forward. The plot follows young Scoopie’s excitement about getting her first puppy and the love that grows as the two bond. Readers will feel the fear and hurt as Scoopie discovers Sandy is sick and will never recover. The author takes care to present the heart-breaking scenes of loss. The way Scoopie stands up for her best friend when she has seizures in front of others also teaches young readers the importance of accepting others in spite of their ailments, disabilities, and differences. This is a beautiful story about the lasting bond between a little girl and her first best friend, followed by another.
