No-Matter-What Friend

by Kari-Lynn Winters, Pierre Pratt (Illustrator)

Overview

This book is about the special relationship between a boy and his dog. Though the boy and his dog are growing older, they can always count on each other as special friends.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781896580838
Publisher:	Tradewind Books
Publication date:	10/01/2014
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	10.65(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kari-Lynn Winters is a picture book author, poet, and performer. She enjoys being in the classroom in any capacity, as a presenter, a teacher, or as a student. She now works at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, where she teaches drama-in-education.

Pierre Pratt studied graphic design at Ahuntsic College in Montreal. Since 1990, he has illustrated (and also written) close to fifty books for children. He has won several prizes, including the Governor General's Award of Canada three times, a Golden Apple and a Golden Plate in Bratislava, a Totem at the Montreuil Salon du Livre in France, a UNICEF Prize in Bologna, the Boston Globe Horn Book Award, the Elizabeth Cleaver Prize, the Mr. Christie Book Award and the TD Children's Literature Award. In 2008, he represented Canada for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Editorial Reviews

"Masterful illustrations map out the emotional content of every nuance of interaction, evoking warmth, sensitivity, and all the feelings of joy and sadness a heart's love can feel."

The Midwest Book Review

2014-08-20
A touching, understated story in which a boy looks back at growing up with his faithful dog, Bud. The huge, tan dog of indeterminate breed has floppy ears, a large nose and drooping, old eyes, as shown in the poignant illustration on the cover. The boy who narrates the rhyming story wonders how much Bud remembers of all their years together, with flashback views of the pair playing ball, skiing, chasing the family truck and getting covered with mud at a nearby pond. Now the faithful dog is too old to play fetch with his owner, who is also growing older and perhaps feeling his childhood coming to an end. The final pages unfold in a powerful conclusion as the boy realizes his dog is having trouble getting up. His one-word commands on successive pages ("Stop. / Sit. / Stay") are tremendously affecting, helping readers realize the dog will not be able to stay with his beloved boy too much longer. The sun is setting in glowing shades of pink and orange in the last spread as the boy hugs his dog and promises to be his friend always, no matter what. Soft-focus, impressionistic illustrations with oddly adult children and the saggy, sad-eyed dog create a dreamlike world with a misty quality suggestive of hazy memories. A bittersweet exploration of the enduring bond between a growing boy and his aging companion. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews