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1: One of my favorite picture books of all time
One of my favorite picture books of all time. This sweet story is about opening up your heart to new friends even after you've lost all your old friends--it would be great for children who move to a new school or town. The text is a little on the long side for a picture book, but for this story it fits.
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2: hands down favorite
We have loved many of Cynthia Rylant's books, including the Henry and Mudge series and the Mr. Putter and Tabby series. However, I think this is her best book of all. The old woman reminded me so much of my late mother, who did name things, and also didn't want to get close to anything new in her old age, afraid they would outlive her. Happily, she and the old woman in the story both took a chance. I still tear up everything I read this book.
The illustrations are beautiful and the message is wonderful. I will continue to read this long after my kids are grown, probably when I am the old woman naming things!
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3: A Lucky Find
I was explaining this story to a friend and actually got choked up just thinking about it! I read this every year to my students and every year I am moved by it. It details an old woman's life and how she has learned to attach herself to inanimate things rather than living things because so many people in her life have died. Ultimately she finds companionship in a dog. The most poignant part of the story comes when she looks back at her life and realized her human interactions have enriched her life and she decides to name the dog and claim him as her own! Ah, see, I'm tearing up again! What a sap!
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4: Fabulous Book To Share as a Family!
We bought this book for our 5-year old son after reading a positive magazine review of it. Still, when we received it, it surpassed our expectations. This is a great book! Our son has read it over and over with our family and he even asked to bring it to school for the "hundredth day" of school. It also was timely because our family had suffered some losses this past year and the book provided a good reason for us to talk about why the old lady may have been reticent to name something and how her feelings changed by the end of the book. It's a somewhat silly (in a good way) book to read yet it still has a wonderful message. Our 8-year-old daughter loved it too. We all did, actually! Great book - buy it and enjoy!
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5: What's in a Name
Cynthia Rylant has done it again-- this story tells of an elderly woman who has outlived most of those she loved and doesn't want to risk a new attachment-but but a nameless stray dog changes her mind. The story is done with a wonderful blend of humor and poignancy. It is a favorite in one pre-K classroom I know--wonderful way to positively approach those tricky issues of aging and death with young children.
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