Birdie for Now Book

One minute she was not there and the next she had dashed in among them, her dangling leash sailing through the air after her. Her silky coat rippled in the breeze and she had incredible ears, black and tall, shaped like butterfly wings. Her feathery tail curled up over her back one minute, streamed out behind her the next and, a second later, tucked itself out of sight between her legs. To Dickon, that tail shouted, "I want to be friends I'm running away I'm afraid." He understood the little dog completely. He, too, had felt confused and desperate. Dickon wasn't happy in his old home or his old school. He hopes that in his new neighborhood he will meet children who never knew his old, hyper self, who will like him for who he is now. And he hopes for a dog of his own. Dickon's mother calls him Birdie. She feeds him milk from a teddy bear mug. She worries if he's out of her sight for a moment and she knows how filthy and vicious dogs can be. Dickon is delighted to discover that the Humane Society is right on the other side of the fence behind the new house, but only by disobeying his mother will he ever get close to a real dog. Jean Little is the well-known author of over thirty books for children including Little by Little, Different Dragons, Hey World, Here I Am and Willow and Twig. Every pet in her stories is based on a real animal.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-5-A satisfying and heartwarming story. Dickon Fielding's mother expects him to take on adult responsibilities and "read" her moods, yet she babies him. He is on medication for hyperactivity and is hoping that the move to a new town will not bring the teasing he has silently endured. The main thing Dickon wants is a dog, but his mother won't allow one. Through a dog-obedience class at the Humane Society, Dickon finds that he can control himself and comfort an abused animal. The workers are impressed with him, and share their opinions with his mother, resulting in a happy ending. Similar to Jack Gantos's "Joey Pigza" books (Farrar), this one is not as zany or energetic, but Little does relate some of the feelings of children who can't always keep themselves on track and develops her protagonist as a believable and sensitive person. Large font and a few illustrations done in charcoal make this a good choice for early chapter-book readers.-Sharon R. Pearce, Chippewa Elementary School, Bensenville, IL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.