Sunday, August 9, 2020

A dog called Bear by Diane and Christyan Fox

 


Lucy really wants a dog. She has done her research and filled her walls with pictures of dogs. 

She sets off meeting different animals along the way in the format of "Are you my mother?" and "A pet for Mrs Arbuckle" (see cover below).

"Hello, my name is Lucy and I'm looking for a dog. I have a very nice basket at home and if I had a dog I would love him and care for him and take him for walks every day."

She talks to a frog but he needs a bath every day.  She talks to a fox but he prefers to be outdoors and can only offer to live inside part time. Then along comes a fellow who says he is a lost dog. Lucy cannot find any dogs that look like him in her dog book but the lost dog explains:

"Oh, that must be an old book. Lots of new dogs have been invented recently. My name's Bear."

The new 'dog' tries to adapt to life with Lucy but in November he goes to sleep - for five months! When he wakes up Lucy and Bear have a big fight. 

"I'm fed up with having to carry your sticks all the time and every time I bring your ball back you throw it away again!"

Bear packs his bag and leaves.  This is a sad moment but also a wonderful page of white space with a small orange bear in one corner with his pull along bag. A powerful picture showing how alone Bear feels.

This is a wonderful preschool book.  The paperback edition of this book is very inexpensive. I think this is a book to own and treasure. Your young reader will laugh and laugh at Bear as he tries to be the perfect dog friend Lucy and all readers will smile when Lucy and Bear are reunited. Their hug is wonderful.

It's a lovely story with a gentle understated theme about friendship, compromise and taking people for what they are, rather than what you want them to be. Book Bag

Diane and Christyan Fox, husband and wife team, are probably most famous for their series of books about Piggy Wiggy:

No comments: