THE DAILY LEADER / JUSTIN VICORY / David Sargent Jr., the author of dozens of children’s books based on dogs, gives his dog “Tatum,” wearing a crown a treat as Tatum performs a dance for the students at Brookhaven Academy Thursday. Sargent brought many of the central characters from his books along, and together they put on a show for the BA students in the school gymnasium. 

Many of Sargent’s dogs were handed to BA teachers to hold as Sargent continued the show. “Daphne,” sat calmly in the lap of one of the teachers but later performed her “howls” for the children on a bell-ring command from Sargent.