Fleabag
by Helen Stephens illustrated by Helen Stephens
Bibliographic citation:
Publisher: Henry Holt
32 pages
ISBN 978-0-8050-8975-2
Age recommendation: 3-7 years
Format: Picture Book/ Hardcover
Awards/Selection lists: Dundee Picture Book Award, 2009
Annotation: A stray dog and a lonely boy become fast friends at a neighborhood park, but everything changes when the boy's family decides to move away.
Review:
What happens when a dog without a home meets a lonely boy? They soon become fast friends that are inseparable in the end.
Fleabag is a stray dog without a person who initiates friendship through play with a boy in the park who appears to have no dog. One day, the boy learns that his family is moving and he is sad and fears losing his best friend. He makes a drastic decision to run away so that he won't have to be separated from his dog, but Fleabag saves the day by waking up the boy's people by barking, thwarting the boy's foolish plan. In the end, the boy's family warms up to Fleabag and give him a new home, too.
The watercolor palette is reminiscent of the Golden Books era but the characters are more expressive and the line work more untamed and playful.
This story touches deeper than on the fear of moving to a new place, but also loneliness, rejection and the power of love and friendship and loyalty. It's a sweet story that will serve both as a child's favorite to be read again and again- and a book that will encourage dialogue about these sensitive yet important topics.
Themes/Issues: Friendship, Moving away, Adjusting to change
Early Literacy Skill Value:
Print Motivation: Young readers will enjoy the heartwarming tale of friendship between a boy and a dog.
Vocabulary: Encourages vocabulary learning through generous use of descriptive words.
Print Awareness: Text is easy to read and navigate from page to page.
Narrative Skills: Clearly depicted actions encourage narrative skills.
Phonological Awareness: N/A
Letter Knowledge: N/A
Author/illustrator website: http://www.helenstephens.com
by Helen Stephens illustrated by Helen Stephens
Bibliographic citation:
Publisher: Henry Holt
32 pages
ISBN 978-0-8050-8975-2
Age recommendation: 3-7 years
Format: Picture Book/ Hardcover
Awards/Selection lists: Dundee Picture Book Award, 2009
Annotation: A stray dog and a lonely boy become fast friends at a neighborhood park, but everything changes when the boy's family decides to move away.
Review:
What happens when a dog without a home meets a lonely boy? They soon become fast friends that are inseparable in the end.
Fleabag is a stray dog without a person who initiates friendship through play with a boy in the park who appears to have no dog. One day, the boy learns that his family is moving and he is sad and fears losing his best friend. He makes a drastic decision to run away so that he won't have to be separated from his dog, but Fleabag saves the day by waking up the boy's people by barking, thwarting the boy's foolish plan. In the end, the boy's family warms up to Fleabag and give him a new home, too.
The watercolor palette is reminiscent of the Golden Books era but the characters are more expressive and the line work more untamed and playful.
This story touches deeper than on the fear of moving to a new place, but also loneliness, rejection and the power of love and friendship and loyalty. It's a sweet story that will serve both as a child's favorite to be read again and again- and a book that will encourage dialogue about these sensitive yet important topics.
Themes/Issues: Friendship, Moving away, Adjusting to change
Early Literacy Skill Value:
Print Motivation: Young readers will enjoy the heartwarming tale of friendship between a boy and a dog.
Vocabulary: Encourages vocabulary learning through generous use of descriptive words.
Print Awareness: Text is easy to read and navigate from page to page.
Narrative Skills: Clearly depicted actions encourage narrative skills.
Phonological Awareness: N/A
Letter Knowledge: N/A
Author/illustrator website: http://www.helenstephens.com