A wordless picture book about what we lose, what we find, and what we give back.- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (November 20, 2018)
Day’s pen-and-ink, watercolor, and gouache illustrations are set against stark white backgrounds and, through varying page layouts and purposeful pops of color, convey a clear narrative, express a range of emotions, and meaningfully guide the reader’s eye.
★ The Horn Book Magazine, Starred Review
“Day’s ink-and-watercolor illustrations shape the story and capture feeling—that most elusive of narrative dimensions—in effortless sequences of movement and MASTERFUL use of color and perspective.”
★ Kirkus, Starred Review
“The pair’s all-too-brief idyll is gently and memorably drawn, and the girl’s independence in a big city—there are no parents in sight—allows focus on her interior journey and genuinely noble decision.”
★ Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“This is a beautiful wordless book about love in all its messiness and what it means to open your heart, experience loss, and then open it again.”
★ School Library Journal, Starred Review
The story is so tightly constructed there’s almost no room for interpretation, and I like that. The vigorous pen-and-ink art leaves a lot of white space on the page, with just occasional washes of color, adding to a sense that the book is a straightforward puzzle you’re solving with visual clues, like the colors of the balls that belong to each dog. Of course, there’s an overarching fantasy element — the girl appears to live with no parents and no adult figures intrude on her decision-making. But isn’t that one of the best things dogs can give kids, a sense of their own power?
-The New York Times
Pen-and-ink, watercolor, and gouache make the illustrations pop against the expansive white pages. The limited text and realistic pictures make this an easy tale for small children to follow. Expressive faces on the dog and child are full of emotion—viewers will see the thought process happening, and feel the love passing between the two companions.
– Booklist
A SCBWI Golden Kite, Honor Award
A Society of Midland Authors, Honor Award
Exhibited in the Society Of Illustrators, The Original Show
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