Illus. in full color. "In this gentle, moving story, Elfie, a dachshund, and her special boy progress happily through life together. One morning Elfie does not wake up. The family grieves and buries her. The watercolor illustrations, tender and warm in color and mood, suit the simple text perfectly."--School Library Journal.
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2 In this gentle, moving story, Elfie, a dachshund, and her special boy progress happily through life together. When she is young, Elfie is full of pep and pranks; but as her master grows taller and taller, Elfie grows fatter and slower. One morning Elfie does not wake up. The family grieves and buries her, and the boy refuses a new puppy. He is not yet ready for another pet; but when he is, he will tell that one, as he told Elsie every night, "I'll always love you." The watercolor illustrations, tender and warm in color and mood and cozily rounded in form, suit the simple text perfectly. Elsie's gradual change from a lively mischief-maker to a portly old dog is treated with a sweet humor. Viorst's The Tenth Good Thing About Barney (Atheneum, 1971) and Cohen's Jim's Dog Muffins (Greenwillow, 1984) also treat the loss of a beloved pet with great understanding, but anyone who has or ever had an old dog in the family will be especially touched by this book. Pat Pearl, First Presbyterian Church Library, Martinsville, Va.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
Illus. in full color. "In this gentle, moving story, Elfie, a dachshund, and her special boy progress happily through life together. One morning Elfie does not wake up. The family grieves and buries her. The watercolor illustrations, tender and warm in color and mood, suit the simple text perfectly."--School Library Journal.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
64 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A boy and his chubby hound, Elfie are the closest friends. They share developmental milestones and secrets. The gentle illustrations show the bond between the two; in one picture, the boy, then barely more than an infant mounts a toilet seat while his dog tinkles on the floor. The parallel between the two and their developmental milestones from pup to dog and from toddler to older child are beautifully chronicled.
As Elfie ages, she is no longer able to romp and play. Her stiffened joints and fatigue are taxed on her advanced age. She is taken to a kindly vet, who says that he cannot treat her, but the best thing to do is make her happy and comfortable.
Elfie eventually dies and the boy sadly buries her after openly sharing his grief. He vows that he will tell every pet he owns that he will always love that animal.
A wonderful book of healing and bonding; truly the best book dealing with the death of a pet that I have come across. I think the message of telling a loved one, human or pet that you will always love them is a lesson worth learning.
Thank you, Mr. Wilhelm!
38 of 38 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are some books I think should be in every household, and if you have both children and pets, this is one of them. Dealing with the death of a beloved pet is difficult enough for anyone, let alone a child, but this book helps. In fact, I would recommend this book to adult pet owners as well. Nothing will stop the pain of the loss of course, but "I'll Always Love You" helps bring back the happiness and lets the healing begin. I have been a booster of this book for years and hope it NEVER goes out of print. Do yourself a favor and buy this warm story of Effie, "the best dog in the whole world" and her boy....
25 of 25 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a little girl I read this book when my dog was dying. It truly helped me deal with his death and realize that is okay to be sad. It is a wonderful tool to help children understand death a bit better. Few books since my childhood have made such an impression on me as this one, and it is the only book from my childhood I still keep on my shelf as a college student. In fact, my cat grew very sick of cancer and I read this book again to make myself feel better about the situation. And I have never forgotten to utter Hans Wilhelm's words into my pets' ears. And right before my cat died, I whispered "I will always love you" just as the little boy in the story did.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Had it for 20 yrs and it still makes me cry!
I bought this book with my very own money when I was six. I've held on to it through every move since-over twenty years. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Jessica L. Brothers
Childhood favorite
My brother, sister, and I all brought this book home from the school library. My Ma hated reading this to us because she would always cry. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Whitney Strohmeyer
Make sure you have your tissues handy!
Bought for my 5 year old niece who lost her dog. Book is heart warming, and melts your heart so be sure to have a tissue close by. Read more
Published 3 months ago by La la
Not so good for very little children
This book was very sad and not very comforting for a 3 year old, maybe okay for older children. Very sad
Published 6 months ago by Linda Welch
ill allways love you
I like this book because it is so intresting and just grabs your attentoin. They get a puppy and then the dog gets older while the kid gets older and older. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Class 118
Supremely Sad, But Beautiful, and My Children Ask for it Over and Over
As I said in my title for this review, this is an extremely sad book - I cried the first time we read it - but it is beautiful, and my children (ages 4-6) ask for it over and over. Read more
Published 12 months ago by L. Erickson
Always makes me cry...
I grew up with this book, and love it dearly. It's a simple, honest story of a boy who grows up with his pet dog, Elsie, finally having to say goodbye to her when she passes away... Read more
Published 13 months ago by groovyK
I'll Always Love You
This story was shared with children and parents at a school's reading night. It is a cute story with a touching ending.
Published 14 months ago by Debra Green
OK book for dealing with death of pet dog
This book was OK for this topic. I found it too specific i.e. it was only 1 boy's dog in a 3 kid family whereas in my house the animals are everyone's
Published 15 months ago by imcclarke
A Timeless Treasure
I vividly remember reading this book for the first time.
I was 9 years old (I'm 25 now) and another boy had brought it to school so we'd swapped for the day. Read more
I was 9 years old (I'm 25 now) and another boy had brought it to school so we'd swapped for the day. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Assisi
Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
This is a story about Elfie-the best dog in the world. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
This is a story about Elfie-the best dog in the world. Read the first page New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
17
books
cite this book:
See all 17 books citing this book
- The Big Book of Picture-Book Authors & Illustrators: Grades K-3 by James Preller on page 142
- Kids Review Kids' Books (Grades 2-5) by Scholastic Books on page 185
- Library Story Hour From A to Z: Ready-to-Use Alphabet Activities for Young Learners by Ellen K. Hasbrouck on page 111
- Italian Film (National Film Traditions) by Marcia Landy in Index
- Seven Choices: Finding Daylight after Loss Shatters Your World by Elizabeth Harper Neeld in Back Matter
See all 17 books citing this book
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