Follow My Leader [Paperback]

James B. Garfield (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

After Jimmy is blinded in an accident with a firecracker, he has to relearn all the things he used to know. With the help of a determined therapist, he learns to read Braille and to use a cane. Then he's given the chance to have a guide dog. Learning to work with Leader is not easy, but Jimmy tries harder than he ever has before.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140364854
• ISBN-13: 978-0140364859
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (83 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,395 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #42 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Fiction
  • #73 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Personal Hygiene

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Author's Granddaughter, July 7, 2008

By 

Amy Lazarus (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Follow My Leader (Paperback)

I'm James Garfield's granddaughter. He dedicated the book to my mother, Carolyn Lazarus, who is now 81 years old. My granddad lived to be 102 years old, living half of his life blind. He had a seeing eye dog, Coral, a golden retriever who was the sweetest animal I've ever met and she was so very attentive to him. He would have been very flattered to read these reviews so I thank all of you who have taken the time to write about Follow My Leader.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Heartwarming Tale for Readers of All Ages, June 2, 2005

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Follow My Leader (Paperback)

Eleven-year-old Jimmy Carter doesn't know what to do with himself when he is blinded by a firecracker in a freak accident. The usually energetic boy, who loved playing baseball, and going camping is quickly taken out of commission, and left to live the rest of his life in the dark. All alone. But that notion is quickly swept out of Jimmy's head when he begins working with Miss Thompson, a therapist who opens up a whole new world for Jimmy, one where he can walk by using a cane, and read by using the method of braille. But when Jimmy is given the chance to have his very own guide dog, he's ecstatic. He quickly packs up his belongings, and heads to the School for the Blind where he will learn to get around without his cane, cut food by himself, and, best of all, get his very own guide dog! But getting used to working with Leader - his dog - isn't as easy as Jimmy originally thought it would be. In fact, sometimes it can even be a bit complicated at times. But Jimmy knows that if he wants to make it in this cruel world he'll have to try as hard as he can to make things work with his eyes, Leader.

I have been interested in seeing eye dogs for as long as I can remember, and have dreams of training a seeing eye dog for someone in the future, which is why I couldn't have been happier to find James B. Garfield's FOLLOW MY LEADER at a used bookstore, sitting all by it's lonesome on a shelf, just waiting to be picked up and read. I purchased the book, and when I got home, quickly began reading it, finding it hard to put down. Jimmy is a wonderful character, whose adjustment to living life blind was a heartwarming tale. While he goes through the seven stages of feeling grief, depression, and more, Jimmy comes out on top, and overcomes the challenges that his blindness has caused him to face, making him a wonderful literary character for readers of all ages. This is a must read book for readers young and old who are looking for a triumphant story to delve into.

Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic -- Please vote for a Kindle version!, February 20, 2005

By 

Glenn M. Schoditsch (Richmond, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Follow My Leader (Paperback)

My 6th grade teacher read this book to my class back in 1963. It was a class favorite back then also!

I recently had lunch at a mall food court and by chance wound up sitting next to a blind woman and her guide dog. During a very interesting conversation with this lovely lady, I discovered the training she went thru for her dog was very much like the training "Jimmy" received in "Follow My Leader". This a wonderful book for all and like many, I too read this book as a youth over 40 years ago. I'm very pleased to see it still in print.

AND,

Please vote for a Kindle version!