Blue Daisy

Description

Sam and Katie find a stray dog and make a big mistake, but it's hard to make amends--how can you apologize to a dog? A dirty, skinny, dog shows up in Sam and Katie's neighborhood. They start to follow it, and they don't like what they see- The Wilson sisters yell at it because it goes in their garden and the Tracy twins chase it on their bikes and throw things at it. Sam and Katie want the dog to know they'll be its friends. They think it should have a name. Most of all, they want it to like them. But then they do something thoughtless, and after that, it's hard to make things right, especially because the dog now won't come near them. How they earn the dog's trust, help it find its place in their town and how it gets its name, makes for a heartwarming story told in two voices using prose and poetry. Blue Daisy is illustrated with 20 black-and-white illustrations and includes recipes for dog biscuits and snickerdoodles. A Bank Street Best Childrens Book of the Year!

Helen Frost is an award-winning children's book author, playwright, and poet. She has written many award-winning books for children and young adults and her young-adult novel Keesha's House was a Michael L. Printz Honor Book. Her most recent book for younger children is Applesauce Weather. Ms. Frost lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana. www.helenfrost.net Rob Shepperson has illustrated over two dozen books for children, most recently the Franklin School Friends series by Claudia Mills. His editorial illustrations have appeared regularly in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Mr. Shepperson lives in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. www.robshepperson.com

"Positive examples of parenting offer the children guidance as they learn important lessons in responsibility, forgiveness, and understanding, and a happy ending levels the playing field between 'good' and 'bad' kids through friendship and a home for Blue Daisy. Back matter features recipes connected to the story, and the note on poetry and prose easily ties the book to language arts lessons."-Booklist "An easy-to-read, heartwarming lesson in trust-building."-Kirkus Reviews "The book contains several scaffolds for readers just moving into longer works. Quatrains preview each of three sections, while a fourth serves as an epilogue and succinctly closes the novel. Sam's three-line stanzas provide a nice structure for the text, and sixteen full-page black-and-white illustrations present a visual representation of the characters and highlight main points in the story." -The Horn Book "Alternating chapters in differing styles, poetry for Sam and prose for Katie, help to convey how each character communicates; Sam seems restrained alongside Katie's constant clip. Apologies offer weight in this slim volume by Frost (Applesauce Weather), and result in a more generous view of neighbors and a realization that even kind people can make mistakes."-Publishers Weekly "the emotions and ethical notes ring true, and kids will find much food for thought here. Shepperson's friendly monochromatic line and watercolor art is sweet and homey, a tonal match to the text."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books