Pinder Plotkin Legal Team is highlighting The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy, a children's picture book written by Jason Plotkin, Esq., that was published in paperback and Kindle editions on August 31, 2026. The book follows a boy named Stevie after a dog bite, when his bandage has come off but his fear remains. The firm is drawing attention to the title as a story families can read together after a frightening encounter with a dog.
Jason Plotkin, the firm's CEO and Managing Attorney, was bitten by a dog as a child. The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy is his third book and his first for children. He wrote it for families whose child continues to feel afraid after the physical wound has healed, a concern he hears from parents often. The book approaches that subject through fiction, giving parents and children a shared story to return to when the fear resurfaces.
In the story, Stevie's mother introduces the Brain Alarm, a plain-language way to name his fear response. She also presents the Bravery Ladder, a four-rung way to break a frightening activity into small steps. Stevie eventually greets Teka, a black Labrador puppy. The narrative shows a child moving through fear gradually and with a parent's support, and it gives families simple words for talking about a hard experience. It tells one child's story and leaves room for each family's experience to unfold differently.
The book's free printable companion, My Bravery Journal, includes drawing space, a blank Bravery Ladder, and a Certificate of Bravery. These pages give children and parents a place to record thoughts and to map out small steps of their own, using the same concepts named in the story. The journal extends the reading experience into an activity a family can complete at its own pace.
The picture book is separate from the firm's adult-facing legal ebook, The Parent's Guide to Child Dog Bite Claims in Maryland. The children's book is a fictional story meant for family reading. The legal ebook offers educational information for parents with questions about child dog bite claims in Maryland. The two resources serve different purposes, and neither is a substitute for individualized support or legal advice.
The paperback and Kindle editions remain available. Jason Plotkin plans to make a hardcover edition available through Ingram on November 17, 2026, providing an ordering route for schools, bookstores, and libraries. The added format extends the book's availability without changing its purpose as a family reading resource.
Pinder Plotkin Legal Team represents Maryland families in dog bite injury matters, and its Maryland child dog bite legal services address the legal side of those claims. The Pickle, the Patch, and the Puppy addresses a different need: how a family might talk and read together about a child's fear. The firm's public information keeps the two subjects separate.
When the book was published, Jason Plotkin, Esq., CEO and Managing Attorney, spoke about the fear that can remain after a child's wound heals and why a family might turn to a story on a difficult evening. In the firm's announcement at that time, he said: "Parents ask me all the time what to do about that part. This is the book I wish someone had handed my mom. It doesn't replace a therapist, and it isn't about the legal case at all. It's a story a family can read on a night when a kid is having a hard time."
Founded in 2002, Pinder Plotkin Legal Team is a Maryland personal injury, auto accident, truck accident, dog bite, and workers' compensation law firm. Led by Jason Plotkin, Esq., CEO and Managing Attorney, the firm represents injured Marylanders from offices in Baltimore, Laurel, and Bel Air.
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For more information about Pinder Plotkin, contact the company here:
Pinder Plotkin
Kelly Beltran
(410) 661-9440
kelly@pinderplotkin.com
4300 Ridge Road
Baltimore, MD 21236
