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    Bone Dog: A Picture Book
    Unavailable
    Bone Dog: A Picture Book
    Unavailable
    Bone Dog: A Picture Book
    Ebook36 pages8 minutes

    Bone Dog: A Picture Book

    By Eric Rohmann

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    This ebook includes audio narration.

    One of School Library Journal's Best Picture Books of 2011

    One of Horn Book's Best Picture Books of 2011
    Ghost dogs and skeletons in a tall tale with a tender heart from the Caldecott Medal-winning creator of My Friend Rabbit.

    Gus doesn't feel like doing much after his dog Ella dies. He doesn't really even feel like dressing up for Halloween. But when Gus runs into a bunch of rowdy skeletons, it's Ella--his very own Bone dog--who comes to his aid, and together they put those skeletons in their place. A book about friendship, loss, and a delightfully spooky Halloween.

    Audio Book read by Kathleen McInerny.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJul 19, 2011
    ISBN9781466819658
    Unavailable
    Bone Dog: A Picture Book
    Author

    Eric Rohmann

    Eric Rohmann was born in Riverside, Illinois in 1957. He grew up in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago. Eric won a Caldecott Honor Book award for Time Flies, and a Caldecott Medal award for My Friend Rabbit., and has written four children's books: My Friend Rabbit, The Cinder-Eyed Cats, Pumpkinhead, and A Kitten's Tale. Visit his website at www.ericrohmann.com.

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    Reviews for Bone Dog

    4/5

    89 ratings20 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Oh come on, kids *like* creepy and scary. One threat about removing the boy's guts isn't too much except for the youngest, who shouldn't even be reading this anyway. It's clearly aimed at ages 6-9 or so - after all, Gus is trick-or-treating *alone* which tots do not do!

      I thought the dancing, giggly, exuberant skeletons were *wonderful.* Of course they get carried away in their fun; they only get to come out and play one night a year, after all. If anything, Ella's friends were the ones who were scary....
    • 3/5
      Bone Dog is a very unique picture book. The plot is simple--Gus loses his pet dog, Ella. Before she passes, Ella tells Gus she will be back to visit him. Gus is sad over the loss of his dog, but continues on with his life any way. He goes out on Halloween night dressed as a skeleton. Soon, a gang of skeletons approach him and start bullying him, saying things like, "You may have guts but not for long!" Ella comes back as a "bone dog"/ghost and helps to save Gus from the skeletons. There are a few wordless pages with excellent illustrations that provide more detail as to how the skeletons disappear.I can see how Bone Dog is a good fit book for gifted children, as it meets many of the criteria Baskin and Harris discuss. The vocabulary is varied, the language is sometimes repetitive, and there are a few "play on words" phrases. The ending of the book is also a bit ambiguous and open-ended. I thought this book was a little scary for young readers. I think some of my more immature Kindergarten boys would have been scared during this book; however, I think first or second grade boys would probably love it. I also thought of my three gifted students that I taught this year, and even though they are Kindergarten age, they would not have been scared and would really enjoy reading this.
    • 3/5
      This book is about a boy who's dog dies but comes back at Halloween time as bones. It really is a creepy book and not intended for young children.
    • 4/5
      THis is a sweet story about a boy and his dog but is a little creepy. I'm not sure that I would read it to younger kids just because of this factor. The artwork is great and the book has a great overall message about loss and death.
    • 2/5
      This ended up being an okay book, but first impression picking it up.... CREEPY.

      I like creepy really I do...if you know me you will be well aware of this fact. But this one kind of took it too far.

      SPOILER!!!!!!!

      At one point the skeletons realize the boy is not in fact a skeleton but a boy and threaten to remove all of his guts. It just came across really creepily...

      But then the book has a really cute ending with the dogs chasing the skeletons for their bones. Some part of me though can't help but read the message that don't worry if your dog dies, he will come back every year on halloween is a bit too much
    • 3/5
      I'm not sure what to think of this book. It's a little sad, it's a little creepy, and it's a Halloween story. I'm not really sure if it would work at a preschool story time. I do think it would work well as a book to help kids deal with a pet's death at any time of year. I also really enjoy Rohmann's illustrations.
    • 4/5
      Good book to share at Halloween or with a child whose pet passes away. Shares a wonderful story of a boy whose dog passes away, but the bond is still there.
    • 4/5
      All alone on Halloween night? In a graveyard? WHat could possibly go wrong? This spooky holiday tale also reveals the story of friendship that endures even death.
    • 2/5
      This was an interesting book. My 11 year old didn't want to read it based on the illustrations. My 8 year old was curious when she saw the pictures. The theme is nice, but personally it is not a book I would read to my girls.
    • 4/5
      Gus’s old dog Ella dies, but when he is in need while encountering skeletons on Halloween, she comes to his rescue.This book is unique in that not many picture books deal with the death of an animal. It is comforting in an unassuming way.
    • 4/5
      This is an ambitious book. It tries to be both spooky (and boy does it get spooky) Halloween tale and tender tale of the death of a pet. By aiming for both, Rohmann doesn't quite hit either, but what he ends up with is interesting to say the least, and beautifully drawn. Very young children might be creeped out by the skeletons that surround Gus, but older children will appreciate the thrill and hopefully will come away with a good message.
    • 2/5
      I felt this story was meant to deal with the loss of a pet and how the love and friendship live on beyond the grave. Unfortunately, it seemed morbid towards the end, particulary in conjunction with the illustrations, and it was hard to see past it. I'm not sure I would read it to my child.
    • 5/5
      This book was absolutely delightful. Gus and his dog, Ella, are constant companions. When Ella passes away, Gus is very sad. However, when Gus is threatened by skeletons on Halloween night, Ella comes from the grave to rescue him.This is a great book for kids dealing with grief. It would also show them that not even death can stop true friendship.
    • 3/5
      Gus and his dog, Ella, were longtime friends. When Ella was very old, she promised Gus that she would always be with him. Then she passed away, and Gus didn’t feel like doing any of the usual things. On Halloween night, Gus, in a skeleton costume, was at the graveyard, and he was suddenly surrounded by skeletons who were angry to learn that Gus was not a skeleton, but a human. Suddenly a bone dog appeared and he called all his dog friends to come and help Gus. Would I want to see my dog again if he would return as a bone dog? Would children?
    • 5/5
      As the boy tries to deal with the grief of losing his best friend, he realizes that he will always be there.
    • 5/5
      What could be more classic than a tale of a boy and his dog? This tale is anything but. Eric Rohmann tells the story of the friendship of Gus and Ella (never questioning that Ella the dog can talk, of course). Ella tells Gus in the beginning that she is growing old and she won't be around forever, yet she promises to always be with him. Ella does pass in the beginning of the book, and it shows Gus carrying on and living with the sadness of losing his friend. Although he doesn't want to go trick or treating, he does, and on the way home he runs into some real skeletons and is only saved when Ella shows up from beyond the grave (as a skeleton herself) to chase the other skeletons away. Thus fufilling her promise to always be there for Gus. A really great book to show us that our friends are never really gone, and that friendship can live on even after death.
    • 5/5
      I absolutly loved this book! I thought it had depth, it had a great story. It is about a boy and his dog and in the beginning his dog dies. He becomes really sad and then meets up with real skeletons and meets his dog in a sort of an after life. A very heart warming story about a boy and his dog.
    • 4/5
      A boy grieves the loss of his beloved dog. When he encounters some trouble with skeletons in a graveyard on Halloween night, his dog returns as a bone dog to defend him. The boy enjoys the moments with his dog after the skeletons are defeated.
    • 5/5
      A little boy and his dog are best buds. He cannot imagine a life without his dog. Eventually, his dog passes and the boy is in a grieving mood for a while. Halloween night comes, and he does not even feel like going, but he does. This is where he eventually sees his 'bone dog.' He realizes that his dog will always be with him no matter what. This is an uplifting and truthful book about grief and death. Loved ones will always be with us. Life does go one when people or things pass, but that does not mean they are no longer with us.
    • 5/5
      There are LOTS of books for young children about coping with the death of a pet. Bone Dog is NOT like other books. Gus and his dog Ella have been friends for forever, and she tells him on page two that she won't be around for much longer. "But no matter what happens, I'll always be with you." On the next page there's no death scene -- just the simple reality of grieving and facing the fact that live moves on: "After Ella was gone, Bus didn't feel like leaving the house. But he did." At Halloween, Gus dresses as a skeleton and meets up with real skeletons -- one of whom is Ella -- Bone Dog. She has kept her promise that she'll always be with him. Rohmann has spoken often about respecting children to get it -- respecting their intelligence. He did it with Clara and Asha, with My Friend Rabbit, and he does it again, so amazingly capturing kids' emotions.