CM Magazine: Sandwiches for Duke.

________________ CM . . . . Volume VIII Number 13 . . . . March 1, 2002

cover Sandwiches for Duke.
Judy Ann Sadler. Illustrated by Lorna Bennett.
Toronto, ON: Stoddart Kids, 2001.
32 pp., cloth, $19.95.
ISBN 0-7737-3313-2.
Subject Headings:
Dogs-Juvenile fiction.
Storms-Juvenile fiction.
Farm life-Juvenile fiction.
Preschool-grade 3 / Ages 4-8.

Review by Gillian Martin Noonan.

**** /4

exerpt:

They had been eating their lunch on the porch when the skinny collie appeared from behind the barn, limped across the yard, and hobbled up the stairs. He looked at each of them and then moved toward Josie. Without even thinking Josie offered him her sandwich. When it was gone, he laid his head in her lap and closed his eyes. It was love at first sight.

The vet had mended Duke's injured paw and Josie had mended his broken heart. Since that day two summers ago, Josie and Duke went almost everywhere together. And ever since then, Mom had been reminding them that sandwiches were for people, not for Duke.

Sandwiches for Duke, written by Judy Ann Sadler and illustrated by Lorna Bennett, is the story of the relationship between a young girl and her dog. Duke just arrives at the family farm one day and immediately becomes Josie's constant and faithful companion. On this particular day, the father, his children and Duke are out in the field removing rocks when a tornado strikes. Josie's favorite possession, her flowered hat, blows from her head as the family runs for the shelter of the farmhouse. Only when the family members are safely tucked away in the basement does Josie realize Duke is not with them. The storm lasts for a long time, and Josie spends the period blaming herself for Duke's absence. Finally, the weather clears, Mom makes sandwiches for supper, and Josie goes out to call her dog home, but there is no answer. She waits and waits as night comes on and then calls one last time. As the house floods with light, Duke appears with an unexpected present in his mouth.

Sandwiches for Duke is a wonderful story that is brought to life with the vivid, realistic illustrations provided by Bennett, and readers are drawn into Josie's life through these paintings. Though Sadler's text is precise in developing the story, it is the expressions on the characters' faces that bring the emotional content to this story. The resulting book is a perfect melding of the talents of the author and the illustrator. Children will enjoy this story and will identify with Josie's feelings. The excitement and suspense of Sandwiches for Duke is brought to a warm, satisfying conclusion.

Highly Recommended.

Gillian Martin Noonan is a teacher living in Old Perlican, NF.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

Published by
The Manitoba Library Association
ISSN 1201-9364

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