Thursday, February 4, 2016

The Big Little Book of Happy Sadness (Colin Thompson)


That moment when you pick up a book to read to your class that you really haven't previewed.

This one made me a little nervous. The beginning is so sad and pathetic!! I almost stopped after:
Most Friday afternoons on his way home from school, in that time before the weekend when lonely people realize just how lonely they are, George visited the dog shelter.


One thing is for sure though, it sure grabbed everyone's attention. Every student my class was riveted and listening carefully to see what would happen to this poor sad pathetic boy.

Everyone was really curious about why the dog only had three legs. The story doesn't say and we decided sometimes that just happens. ...and sometimes life is just sad like that...but we can make the best of it.

We also loved the bit about how Jeremy, the dog, is so happy living with George that he has a smile as wide as Australia. We love good descriptive words!

The illustrations really tie in well to the sadness in this book. 

Goodreads summary:

George lived alone with his grandmother and an empty place where his mother and father should be. One Friday on his way home from school, George visited the animal shelter. There, in the very last cage, was Jeremy, a dog who looked as lost and as lonely as George. When Jeremy goes home to live with George and his grandmother, their whole lives change, and they learn that when it comes to love, it's quality not quantity that counts . 

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