{"id":30275,"date":"2018-11-24T16:45:05","date_gmt":"2018-11-24T20:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30275"},"modified":"2018-11-24T16:45:05","modified_gmt":"2018-11-24T20:45:05","slug":"review-of-hannah-and-sugar-by-kate-berube","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=30275","title":{"rendered":"Review of Hannah and Sugar, by Kate Berube"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Hannah and Sugar<\/em><\/p>\n

by Kate Berube<\/p>\n

Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, 2016.
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

It seems like the texts of picture books are getting shorter and shorter. But that doesn\u2019t have to mean the stories are left out. This book is an example of minimal text, with no unnecessary words, but a full story with a beginning, middle, and end.<\/p>\n

The beginning words are repeated, and we understand that this is the routine, the way things are:<\/p>\n

Every day after school, Hannah\u2019s papa picked her up at the bus stop.<\/p>\n

And every day after school, Sugar was at the bus stop waiting for Violet P.<\/p>\n

Every day after school, Mrs. P. asked Hannah if she wanted to pet Sugar. [We see all the other children happily crowded around Sugar.]<\/p>\n

And every day after school, Hannah said, \u201cNo, thank you.\u201d [Even with the simplest of illustrations, we can see that Hannah is holding her papa\u2019s hand and feeling hesitant about Sugar.]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Then one day, Sugar isn\u2019t there. Sugar\u2019s been missing since the night before. The whole neighborhood searches for Sugar, and variation in the illustrations shows how they look everywhere.<\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s predictable what happens next. However, I like that before it happens, Hannah is sitting on her stoop watching the stars come out and has a reflective moment.<\/p>\n

She listened to the sound of the trains in the distance and she wondered how it would feel to be lost in the dark. She decided that it would be scary and that if she were lost she would be sad and probably hungry.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So when Hannah does find Sugar in the bushes, with her leash tangled in the branches, we believe that Hannah will get up the courage to do something.<\/p>\n

I like the description of their encounter:<\/p>\n

Hannah closed her eyes and took a deep breath.<\/p>\n

Then she gently reached out her trembling hand.<\/p>\n

Sugar sniffed Hannah\u2019s hand and rubbed her face along it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The untangling of the leash is implied in the pictures, but what we do see is a happy Hannah and a dog who\u2019s very glad to see her.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s all wrapped up into a nice tidy bow with the new routine where Hannah gets off at the bus stop and Sugar is waiting for Violet P. and for Hannah, too.<\/p>\n

This picture book works on many levels. Yes, it would be good for kids who are timid around dogs, but it also works as a simple story for any child with plenty of room for talking about feelings. The illustrations are simple, but convey worlds of emotion even so. (How do these brilliant artists do it, anyway?)<\/p>\n

abramsyoungreaders.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/hannah_and_sugar.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on a library book from Fairfax County Public Library.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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