Sable

by Karen Hesse, Marcia Sewall (Illustrator)

Overview

Tate is overjoyed when a scrawny mutt turns up in the yard one day. She even persuades Mam and Pap to let her keep Sable, named for her dark, silky fur. But before long, the dog begins to cause trouble with the neighbors and Mam and Pap decide the dog must go. But Tate doesn't give up easily . . . and neither does Sable.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312376109
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	01/19/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	658,281
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 7.30(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	690L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Karen Hesse is the author of many books for young people, including Out of the Dust, winner of the Newbery Medal, Letters from Rifka, Brooklyn Bridge, Phoenix Rising, and Lavender. She has received honors including the Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award, the Christopher Award, and the MacArthur Fellowship "Genius" Award, making her only the second children's book author to receive this prestigious grant. Born in Baltimore, Hesse graduated from the University of Maryland. She and her husband Randy live in Vermont.

Editorial Reviews

An exceptional dog story—with a happy ending—whose length and pencil illustrations, one per chapter, make it attractive to young readers.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“The plot is familiar . . . Hesse, however, makes the story seem fresh.” —Publishers Weekly

“With a fresh narrative voice, thoughtfully developed characters, and its surefire Lassie Come-Home ending, a fine early chapter book.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

Hesse ( Letters from Rifka ) turns out an exemplary chapter book with this superbly structured work about a girl and her dog. Tate's greatest wish is to keep the mutt that has strayed into her family's yard: ``Mam and Pap hadn't said I could keep her,'' confides Tate, the narrator. ``But they hadn't said I couldn't, either.'' The plot is familiar--Mam doesn't like dogs, Pap is sympathetic but stern, and when neighbors start complaining about the dog, Mam and Pap find it a new home, far away. Hesse, however, makes the story seem fresh. A few deft references evoke the setting, rural New England in the indeterminate past, and skillful use of easy-to-read language supplies the color (Mam, for example, doesn't simply bake bread; instead, ``The muscles worked in her long back as her fist kneaded dough''). Tate herself is appealingly resourceful and determined, and the obstacles in her path are neither entirely predictable nor too neatly hurdled. Each chapter swings the reader through a spectrum of emotions and a comfortable surge of expectation. Ages 7-9. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Gr 3-5-A starving dog is the catalyst that propels Tate, 10, toward adulthood. Plot and characterization effortlessly evolve through her narration, which is as honest and direct as the character herself. Her simple language is filled with images of rural New England. She describes her struggle to keep the stray, which begins as soon as the exhausted animal appears on her porch. Even though her mother is terrified of dogs, Tate quickly wraps her life around her new-found pet, whose ears are as soft as sable. However, the canine's wandering ways and stealing bring complaints from neighbors. Mam demands that Sable leave, and Pap finds her a good home with Doc Winston, whose land is surrounded by a high stone fence. Desolate but determined to win Sable back, Tate designs, buys the materials for, and builds her own fence. Weeks later, she visits Doc Winston and learns that the animal has disappeared. With the loss of Sable, Tate's focus shifts to helping her family; in turn, her father accepts her as an apprentice in his woodworking shop. An exceptional dog story-with a happy ending- whose length and pencil illustrations, one per chapter, make it attractive to young readers.-Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME

School Library Journal