Before You Were Mine by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by David Walker 2007
This story about adopting a new dog after loss is full of emotion. The young narrator imagines what life was like for his new puppy before his family rescued it from the shelter. Did the previous owner “talk about you at recess? Or laugh when you licked his chin?” The boy even worries that the dog may have been treated in a mean way, or experienced loneliness. But after all the speculation this compassionate child realizes that what really matters is the love his family can offer, and the joy of a new friend.
The artwork from Walker is full of warmth, and emotion. I especially appreciate the hopeful look exchanged between the boy and the dog when they see each other for the first time. A short essay from Boelts in the back of the book talks about the joy that a successful animal adoption can bring to all parties involved.
Appropriate for ages 4-8
2 comments:
Hi Jenni,
Thanks for your kind email, it made my day! Your five year old is at the perfect age for introducing a puppy... I'm sure she'd love to explore all the pups available at www.petfinder.com : ) What fun to peruse the books and reviews on your fun website....this is quite a gift you're giving parents, teachers, and kids as well. Authors and illustrators, too.
All the best to you, and thanks again for including my book in your line-up... it's an honor!
Maribeth
Hi Jenni--
Thanks for the nice review of my book on your blog. If you've had a dog before, that thing can actually be a tear jerker (kind of sneaks up on you since you wouldn't expect it from a kids book). Maribeth Boelts did a great job writing it so it made my job as illustrator easy.
If the book nudged your daughter into talking you into getting a family dog, that's great! Be careful if you let her go to the shelter to help pick one out though- I brought my wife and we ended up getting TWO dogs... what were we thinking???? The last thing I remember was I found the dog I wanted and then she said, "we can't take one and leave the last one in the cage alone". Now, four years later, I have two 80 pound dogs wrestling around in my studio all day!
Hope you enjoy Crocodaddy too. I also have two other books that came out this Spring and Summer ("Flip, Flap, FLy" and "Bears on Chairs").
Thanks again,
David
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