You have to be a best friend to have a best friend. Through the eyes of these two Bernese Mountain dogs, children will truly learn and appreciate the rewards of having a close friendship. In the Tails of Brinkley the Berner: The Beginning, Brinkley and Luca James share the beginning of their unique relationship. The most defining quality of this book, and something the author and illustrator went to great lengths to articulate, is that everything is true: the characters, how the two friends met, their physical expressions, and even the local pet shop they frequent are all captured in the beautiful artwork.