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Brockenbrough, Martha

This Old Dog

40 pp. | Levine Querido | September, 2020 | Trade ISBN 978-1-338-28395-2 $17.99
(2) K-3 Illustrated by Gabriel Alborozo. This book's "old dog" prefers to take things slow, but the arrival of a new baby has sped up his family's life to "fast fast fast!" His daily walks are now rushed, leaving no time for smelling the grass or searching for just the right rock. Dozing in a sliver of sunlight, old dog dreams of bygone days when there was time for long walks and "balls and lakes and fields." He wistfully yearns for a friend to join him for afternoon ambles and impromptu leaps into leaf piles. A particularly poignant double-page spread shows old dog hanging his head and tail ("His heart thumps. His tail does not") in loneliness. But then a new pair of feet hits the ground and toddles over. Old dog and small girl become fast friends, and together they roll down grassy hills, jump in leaves, hunt for the perfect rock, and fall asleep next to each other in the "soft gold room." The illustrations, which combine brisk pen-and-ink lines with soft watercolors, convey the weariness of old dog, the contagious energy of small girl, and the tender bond they share in this cheerful and touching story of unexpected companionship and the value of an unhurried life.
Reviewer: Emmie Stuart | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2020

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