Sable

by Karen Hesse, Marcia Sewall (Illustrator)

Overview

Tate Marshall is delighted when a stray dog turns up in the yard one day, but Sable, named for her dark, silky fur, causes trouble with the neighbors and has to go.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312376109
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	01/19/2010
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	96
Sales rank:	41,722
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 award-winning author of several outstanding books for young readers, including Letters from Rifka and Phoenix Rising. She lives in Williamsville, Vermont.Marcia Sewall lives in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

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

Tate is thrilled when Sable, a beautiful but malnourished dog, wanders into her yard. Tate desperately wants to keep Sable, but her mother is afraid of dogs and Sable begins to wander throughout the community, returning with other peoples' stuff. A reluctant Tate brings Sable to Doc Winston's to live; however, Tate does not give up. In caring for Sable and making preparations to have the dog returned to her, Tate accepts responsibility and earns having Sable come home. In addition, her father allows Tate to learn his wood working trade. This is a superb chapter book that rings true for anyone who ever wanted and loved a dog. 1998 (orig.

Children's Literature - Wendy Pollock-Gilson

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

"Hesse turns out an exemplary chapter book with this superbly structured work about a girl and her dog." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher