Lost [Hardcover]

Paul Brett Johnson (Author), Celeste Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996 | Age Level: 4 and up

Because she never gives up hope that her beagle, lost in the desert, will be found, the young girl keeps something special in her pocket for her dog.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the opposite end of the spectrum from Lost Cat (reviewed above), this picture book, based on first-time author Lewis's experiences, unflinchingly examines the terrors and traumas that ensue when a pet is lost. While camping in the Arizona desert, a girl and her father realize their beagle, Flag, has vanished. For a month afterward, the girl follows a familiar course: putting up reward posters, enduring the frustration of false leads, experiencing the elation and despair of a mistaken find. She rejects gentle pleas from adults to accept the tragedy. Interspersed with this account is the wordless story of the dog's survival: while sepia-toned art on right-hand pages focuses on the narrator in her sadness, full-color pictures on the left show the ever more emaciated Flag howling piteously at night, searching for water, scared by wild animals. At times the two stories intersect (as when cactus needles pierce Flag's body while the girl gazes at a cactus plant on the school window sill); sometimes they narrowly miss each other. The juxtaposition creates almost unbearable tension-indeed, while some children will be on the edge of their seats with the suspense, many may find the book simply harrowing. Against the odds, girl and dog are reunited in a cathartic ending that, like the rest of this dramatic story, rings true in its fullness of feeling. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-3?A family's camping trip in the desert goes sour when their beagle goes missing. The young narrator and her father put up posters and return to the area again and again searching for their lost pet. Excitement builds when they get a call, and crashes when they find that the dog is not Flag. After a month, Father wrenchingly decides that it is time to give up. And then the miracle happens. Flag is found and returned to them, injured, starved, barely strong enough to give a wriggle of recognition. The story is told on the right-hand page of each spread with colored-pencil drawings showing the girl and her father. The left-hand pages reveal in acrylic paintings what is happening to Flag during his lost-time. The tension builds to a heartbreaking pitch until the poor animal is too weak to move, and is found lying along a trail. Pair this title with Carol Carrick's Lost in the Storm (1987), The Accident (1981), or The Foundling (1979, all Clarion).?Ruth Semrau, formerly at Lovejoy School, Allen, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (NY) (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531095010
• ISBN-13: 978-0531095010
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,841 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, October 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lost (Library Binding)

My daughters, both aged 3, love this book. I get choked up every time I read it. Its one of the books they repeatedly request. I highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope springs eternal, February 9, 2005

By 

Russian Friend (Plainfield- New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lost (Hardcover)

I won't give away the book's details, otherwise I might spoil the affecting drama of this marvelous story. I will disclose enough of the book to help you decide if it interests you/your family. The story involves an elementary school age girl who's dog gets lost on a camping trip. The author employs a creative and powerful technique whereby the even numbered pages tell the story from the girl and her family's perspective and the odd numbered portray scenes occuring simultaneously near the camp grounds (or in the girl's imagination, if you wish). This technique is not at all confusing or gimmicky, it perfectly complements the tale. I recommend this uplifting book!