Kids & Family
Book Review: Ellie, The Homesick Puppy (girl, new home, pup)
You are moving away and your pup has to stay with Grandma for a few days but doesn't understand.
Ellie, The Homesick Puppy, by Holly Webb (Scholastic/Tiger Tails, 2018, 124 pages, reading level 2.4, grades 2-3, ages 6-10) in the Pet Rescue Adventures series
Comparing Spooky Buddies with Ellie the Homesick Puppy is simple but not easy. Ellie attracts girls (dare I say that?) with a pink cover and a girl pup named Ellie while Spooky appeals to both boys and girls.
Secondly, Spooky is fast paced with a myriad of characters and plots. Adults get lost in the twists and turns but Ellie is a longer (seemingly) book with one girl and her pup (and ‘fam’ and friend) and a more realistic story: moving to a new house and neighborhood. Ellie the pup, being a pup, gets in the way of packing and unpacking.
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Solution: pack the pup off to Grandma’s for a couple of days until the family gets settled in the new house.
But Megan misses her Ellie pup and Ellie doesn’t understand why she isn’t home.
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A Lovely Story and Lessons to Learn (Seamlessly)
Ellie is a lovely book: we hear what the pup is thinking and Megan, about 7, is a good ‘big sister’ to her pup. And the story can teach so many of life’s lessons to help a youngster make it through the tough times. Only a couple of little details would a dog trainer suggest differently.
On the whole, kids will want to read other books in the series about dogs (or cats, even!) Books like Jessie the Lonely Puppy or Max the Missing Puppy or The Lost Puppy or even The Rescued Puppy.
Sometimes Illustrations Make the Book
Cute is the word to describe these illustrations in The Scruffy Puppy, The Secret Puppy, and The Seaside Puppy. Sophy Williams has several drawings in each book.
Author Holly Webb Loves Dogs (and Cats)
One in a series of books about puppies, in the Pet Rescue Adventures Animal Books, the pup books also include cat books. We especially are interested in reading The Abandoned Puppy, or Sam the Stolen Puppy, or Buttons the Runaway Puppy. Maybe, The Secret Puppy or The Forgotten Puppy or Harry the Homeless Puppy.
