The Blue House Dog
by Deborah Blumenthal (Author) Adam Gustavson (Illustrator)
Day after day, Cody watches Bones roam the streets. No one else thinks the old stray is special, but Cody does. He knows the dog is alone now. He watched them tear down the blue house where Bones used to live with an old man. Cody knows how it feels to lose someone, too. Slowly--cautiously--Cody opens his home and his heart to the scruffy dog with one blue eye and one brown.
Inspired by the true story reported in the New York Times about a homeless dog in a suburban New York neighborhood, readers will be deeply affected by Deborah Blumenthal's story of love and loss. Adam Gustavson's full-color illustrations beautifully depict quiet neighborhood life, and highlight the emerging relationship between the narrator and the lonely, dispirited dog that captures his attention, and finally, his heart.
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Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
Gr 1-4--A boy mourning the death of his dog watches a neighborhood stray whose blue house was torn down. Everyone says the skinny dog that Cody calls Bones is nothing special, but first-person free verse and oil paintings indicate that he will help the child heal. Although the dog still cries softly when he passes the site of the old blue house "where the old man stopped living," Bones trusts Cody. He stays in the boy's house a little longer each day, takes walks with Cody, and eventually accepts a new name, Blue, and a blue bandana to wear around his neck. As the physical distance between boy and dog closes, the realistic illustrations gradually include more light and brighter colors. This gentle story may help pet owners following a loss and also illuminates the caring qualities that lead to trust, healing, and friendship.--Julie R. Ranelli, Queen Anne's County Free Library, Stevensville, MD
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.JUV002070 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dogs
Grief
Grief in children
