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Roaring Brook Press, 2011
$16.99, ages 4-8, 32 pages
As a dog comes to the end of her life, she promises her boy she'll always watch over him, then stays true to her word, pattering down from the sky on Halloween to scare away graveyard goons.
In this uplifting, sweet picture book, Caldecott Medalist Rohmann shows a boy confronting the pain of losing a pet, but finding comfort in the thought of his dog's spirit following along above him.
Gus has loved Ella for as long as he can remember; he's loved riding on her back as she charged across the field with a pack of dog friends at her side. But now, Ella's coming to the end of her life and it's time for her to say goodbye.
As a harvest moon slides up over the hillside, Gus sits in the grass with his arm around Ella as she tells him she'll soon go away, but that she'll always look over him. "A promise made under a full moon cannot be broken," she says.
By the next spread, Ella has passed away and Gus is weighted with grief. Losing his dog has taken the fun out of everything, even dressing up and going out trick-or-treating. But it's Halloween and no one misses wandering door-to-door.
Dressed as a skeleton, Gus heads off alone into the night, his body slouched, reflecting how his heart feels. The dogs from the neighborhood tilt their heads in his direction, tuned into the loneliness he feels.
After Gus fills up his bag, he wanders back toward home and as he crosses the graveyard, he comes upon a fantastical sight all aglow in the full moon.
Skeletons are crawling out from behind tombstones and rattling about. They run to him because they think he's a skeleton too. But when the boy pulls off his mask to reveal he's really just a boy, the skeletons grow mischievous and try to chase him.
Suddenly up in the dark sky, a wagging bone dog comes running down to the boy; it's the spirit of his beloved Ella, watc
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By: Catherine Nichols,
on 8/2/2011
Blog: The Cath in the Hat (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Christmas picture books, Bone Dog, halloween, Eric Rohmann, Add a tag
Although the book might be scary for some young readers (a skeleton crew ambushes Gus in a cemetery), on the whole humor dominates, as when the skeletons tell Gus, "You've got guts kid...but not for long." And the ending message, that a dog's loyalty knows no bounds, is ultimately reassuring. Rohmann's signature style of dark outlines underscores the dramatic cemetery setting and is guaranteed to send shivers up readers' spines. Don't wait for Halloween for this one, check it out now.
Bone Dog
by Eric Rohmann
Roaring Brook Press, 32 pages
Published: July, 2011
4 Comments on Bone Dog, last added: 8/4/2011
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"skeleton crew" that's funny
Our blog has a policy against reviewing any book that has a dog die, but I’ve actually got this one waiting for me at the library. Will it make me cry?
Looks like an interesting book. Hmmmm. I've noticed that my girls are starting to be intrigued by ghosts and other scary things these days, so maybe this is a book we should look into...if it isn't too scary. Maybe I will have to read it myself first. Thanks for posting about it!
My 5 year old is easily scared by things on television and in movies, but not as much in books. And he loves skeletons. He thinks they're hysterical. We'll have to check this one out.