“The Main Line Mutt” has been a story waiting to be told for 30 years, writes Emma Minor for Main Line Today.

The children’s book, by author Nancy M. Schwartz and her husband, Michael S. Schwartz, is about Maggie, a mixed-breed dog who is surrounded by snobby purebreds after moving to an upscale neighborhood.

The book resonates with children. During a recent reading Nancy Schwartz gave to the students at St. David’s Nursery School in Radnor, the audience of 100 children listened with hushed silence until the end, when they peppered the 55-year-old author with questions.

“Why did you pick this story? Why this dog?” Schwartz recounts. “It was so beautiful the way they thought about it.”

The tale is autobiographical, with artistic license.  The Schwartz family really did have a mixed-breed dog named Maggie when they moved to the Main Line 30 years ago.

They also felt some of the other dogs, especially purebreds, were a bit standoffish getting to know Maggie.

The book’s intent is to teach children between ages five and eight the value of being different, how it feels to move someplace new, and how you can accept yourself and still connect deeply with others,

 Read more about Nancy M. Schwartz writing career in Main Line Today.