city dog, country frog

Last Saturday I wrote about how moved I was by The Wheat Doll.  Here I am again with another book that touched my heart. 

city dog, country frog (the title is not capitalized; I'm trying to not let that bother me as I type it) by Mo Willems is a beautiful book about the friendship between a dog from the city and a frog from the country.  The book begins in the spring with city dog's first experience in the country.  The dog is running free for the first time when he spots a frog on a rock.  They become friends and play country frog games.  In the summer, they play city dog games.  Throughout the book, we see the changes that come with each season both in nature and in the friendship.

city dog, country frog spans five seasons of friendship, but they are not all what you might expect.   This book is perfect for discussing the natural course of friendship, life, and loss.  I would also recommend this book for a child moving to a new place or about to experience something new. 

This really is a special book.  There were pages of this book that made the three of us very emotional.  In my opinion, this is Mo Willems finest work. 

I cannot end this review without mentioning the watercolor illustrations by Jon J. Muth.  They are perfect.  I really don't know what else to say because they are simply perfect.  You could "read" the entire story without actually reading a single word.  Even the colors he chose tell the story, and the expressions on the animals' faces are wonderful. 

I read this book to C and R twice this week.  After the second time, C asked me if he could read it to me.  This is the first time that C has asked to read me a book.  He reads to me every day, but he usually reads books selected by me or his teacher.  He doesn't typically ask to read anything else.  He read the entire book and I am so proud of him.  This book is definitely more difficult than the books he typically reads.  I really think he was moved by the book and wanted to read it himself. 

Tears are falling now!!!  I don't know if it is the story or C's reading, but I'm a bawling mess right now!!!!  

Can you tell that I love this book?  It is heartwarming, beautiful, and truly one of my favorite books. 

I am linking this to What My Child is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.