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.

Chloe

If you have ever lost a pet, then you know how difficult it can be. We lost our Icelandic Sheepdog, Chloe, in September of 2008. It was the first day of Middle school for T. C and R were home with me when I realized that the gate was open and Chloe had left the yard. This had happened before and she never strayed far so I wasn't overly concerned. I called for her a few times. Then the phone rang; it was my husband. He received a phone call from my mother-in-law who was on her way to work when she saw Chloe in the street. My mother-in-law tried to get to her but didn't make it in time. Chloe was hit by a car and her little 25 pound body could not handle the impact. We had her cremated and still have her ashes. We thought about spreading the ashes somewhere, but decided that Chloe would rather be home with us, her family. Chloe was only 5.

Chloe's death was more difficult than I ever imagined it would be. T had a rough few days. C had several meltdowns and could not grasp the reality of the situation. R looked for Chloe constantly. I was most surprised at my own reaction; I cried a lot for at least a week. Chloe has been gone for over six months and my children still talk about her EVERY day. We recently got a puppy and the children often talk about how they wish that the puppy, Kelly, and Chloe could be friends.

Anyway, we did a few things to try to make the loss of our beloved pet easier:

1. We placed photos of Chloe in frames around the house so that we can never forget her;

2. We read a lot of books about losing a pet. Our favorite book about losing a dog is Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant - this is a fantastic book with wonderful illustrations that helps children feel good about what happens to their dog after death. I think it is comforting (even to adults) to believe that God is taking care of our pet and that she is having fun in Heaven. We still read this book regularly, especially when C and R start to miss Chloe. There is also a version of this book called Cat Heaven.

3. C (age 4) dictated stories about Chloe and I wrote them for him. He then illustrated his stories. I am going to put them together in a book for him; and

4. I am not afraid to talk about death with my children. My husband and I weren't going to tell the little ones the truth in the beginning, but we realized that they would never be able to move on if they didn't know what happened. Also, we thought it was important for them to grieve.

We love our new puppy, Kelly, but she is definitely not a replacement for Chloe. She is simply a new member of our family. Chloe will always be in our hearts.