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William Steig ~ Farrar Straus Giroux, 1972
Today's post is going to be about reading and dogs...
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Secondly, being a massive reader and book person, you all know I've struggled with my expectations of the Spanish immersion program my son is in. The not reading in English until the third grade aspect of it has really freaked me out, and this year has been, not necessarily a struggle for him, but a real uphill battle in learning a new language which has translated into a minor reluctance to read on his part. Obviously the Spanish learning has sucked some of the fun out of reading for him, and I was beginning to lament all the age-appropriate classics he would miss in these years between.
Soooo, this year has been about reading books in Spanish (which up until a few weeks ago, he was able to read beautifully but still struggling as far as comprehension goes), getting read aloud all sorts of wonderful novels by yours truly, and continuing to read the sort of books in English that he read in kindergarten. I love Mo Willems, but really, how many times can you read the Elephant and Piggie books before your brain begins to tweak?
That said, last night we had a breakthrough. Apparently, this week the school librarian explained to his class about summer reading lists and all the contests that occur at various libraries and book stores regarding just that very thing. He was so jacked up about it that he made a chart right away, and sat and read ten books, both in Spanish and English without my even asking, and then he turned around and read me aloud the first quarter of Esio Trot (in English!) by Roald Dahl with relative ease. He genuinely seemed excited, as if a light switch went off in his head and all of a sudden he knew in his heart that he could read in English, and that he was actually pretty good at it, and even better still, he might even get rewarded for it.... with more books!
After Sugar died, my son and I spent that day talking about how much we loved him, and then I finishing off the night reading aloud the last few chapters of possibly the best children's novel about a dog ever written, Dominic, one of only three middle grade works by famed New Yorker artist and children's picture book ledgend, William Steig. (The other two being The Real Thief and Abel's Island.)
Like most of his books, it's the story of an adventure punctuated by a fair amount of magic and menacing animals. In Steig's world, rabbits and donkeys and geese and pigs and dogs are always good and foxes and weasels and cats are always bad. Oh, and there is ALWAYS a witch.
So it begins...
Dominic was a lively one, always up to something. One day, more restless than usual, he decided there wasn't enough going on in his own neighborhood to satisfy his need for adventure. He just had to get away.
And indeed he does. Shortly after setting off, he encounters a witch-alligator...
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For all the Sugars and Dominics in the world, wouldn't it be lovely if that last sentiment were so?
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Wouldn't it be nice...
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The Amazing Bone
Amos & Boris
Rotten Island
Yellow & Pink
The Zabajaba Jungle
Shrek!
Gorky Rises
Father Palmer's Wagon Ride
Solomon the Rusty Nail
Tiffy Doofky
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5 comments:
Oh, I am SO very sorry... I do understand your grief... Been there. Praying for God's comfort for you and your family. And, thanks for sharing...
What a lovely post. Pets just don't live long enough- watching them get old an suffer is the worst. I'm so glad you had a lovely place to lay him to rest. Thanks for all of your reviews.
I am terribly sorry about Sugar - as a fellow retriever owner I know how desperately you must miss his gorgeous sunny face.
I have always thought that this quote from Walter Scott is so true: “The misery of keeping a dog is his dying so soon. But, to be sure, if he lived for fifty years and then died, what would become of me?”
I hope you are bearing up.
We own this one, too, and it is my youngest son's favorite book. He says: "If all books were as good as 'Dominic' I'd read all the time."
I love any books with dogs in them! I had to have my Black Lab, Travis, put to sleep in May. I miss him very much. So I totally sympathise with your loss.
I am trying to find a book I loved as a child in which a boy called Dominic goes off to the woods (maybe forest!) with his dog, Benedict, and riding his pony, Valerian. He picks blackberries and drinks goat's milk and has what I thought of as a lovely time. There was a sense of freedom in the story that I think I must've identified with. Any ideas??
Sue
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