Harry and his dog Hopper have done everything together, ever since Hopper was a jumpy little puppy. But one day the unthinkable happens: when Harry comes home from school, Hopper isn't there to greet him. Hopper will never be there again, but Harry isn't ready to let him go...

Reviews

Redheaded Harry and his spotted dog, Hopper, are constant companions, accomplices ("As Hopper grew older... Harry helped him run away from his weekly bath"), and bedmates. The dog's sudden death (an accident that happens while Harry is at school), leaves the boy devastated; refusing to join his father at Hopper's backyard funeral, Harry "stared at the [TV] screen but the words and pictures didn't make sense, and he couldn't follow what was going on." But gradually, Harry finds that Hopper lives on his heart, and in the final, wordless scene, rendered from a vantage point far above the backyard, readers see Harry visiting his beloved pet's grave. Wild's (Puffling) understated, empathic prose offers both a voice for a child unable to articulate his grief and the reassurance that those we love never really disappear. Blackwood's (Ivy Loves to Give) predominantly charcoal drawings are equally eloquent, particularly in her use of texture to capture the emotional essence of good and sad times. These days, her gift for portraying children navigating the turbulence of life feels especially necessary. Up to age 5. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

PreS-Gr 2-A poignant depiction of grief at the loss of a beloved pet is relayed in this quietly moving story. Young Harry and his father adopt an energetic, bouncy black-and-white puppy that Harry appropriately names Hopper. The two develop a strong relationship, helping each other out and even sharing Harry's bed. One day, the boy's father breaks the news to Harry that his dog has been killed in an accident, but the child can't accept that reality. He also can't say good-bye to Hopper before he's buried in the yard and he can't stay in his lonely bed, choosing instead to sleep on the living-room couch. At school, Harry keeps to himself and doesn't tell anyone about what happened. How he comes to terms with his grief is touching and will resonate with children as well as adults who have experienced such a loss. Blackwood's laser print with watercolor, gouache, and charcoal illustrations adeptly show the exuberance of the close friendship and the sadness when it ends. A range of perspectives, varying sizes of pictures, and the change in color palette, from bright to muted back to bright, communicate the story visually, and the understated text conveys the emotions realistically. An affecting combination of pictures and words.-Maryann H. Owen, Racine Public Library, WI (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.