Sable (Redfeather Chapter Book) [Paperback]

Karen Hesse (Author), Marcia Sewall (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Redfeather Chapter Book

Tate is overjoyed when a scrawny mutt turns up in the yard one day. She even persuades Mam and Pap to let her keep Sable, named for her dark, silky fur. But before long, the incorrigible dog begins to cause trouble with the neighbors. Will Sable have to go?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Hesse ( Letters from Rifka ) turns out an exemplary chapter book with this superbly structured work about a girl and her dog. Tate's greatest wish is to keep the mutt that has strayed into her family's yard: "Mam and Pap hadn't said I could keep her," confides Tate, the narrator. "But they hadn't said I couldn't, either." The plot is familiar--Mam doesn't like dogs, Pap is sympathetic but stern, and when neighbors start complaining about the dog, Mam and Pap find it a new home, far away. Hesse, however, makes the story seem fresh. A few deft references evoke the setting, rural New England in the indeterminate past, and skillful use of easy-to-read language supplies the color (Mam, for example, doesn't simply bake bread; instead, "The muscles worked in her long back as her fist kneaded dough"). Tate herself is appealingly resourceful and determined, and the obstacles in her path are neither entirely predictable nor too neatly hurdled. Each chapter swings the reader through a spectrum of emotions and a comfortable surge of expectation. Ages 7-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-A starving dog is the catalyst that propels Tate, 10, toward adulthood. Plot and characterization effortlessly evolve through her narration, which is as honest and direct as the character herself. Her simple language is filled with images of rural New England. She describes her struggle to keep the stray, which begins as soon as the exhausted animal appears on her porch. Even though her mother is terrified of dogs, Tate quickly wraps her life around her new-found pet, whose ears are as soft as sable. However, the canine's wandering ways and stealing bring complaints from neighbors. Mam demands that Sable leave, and Pap finds her a good home with Doc Winston, whose land is surrounded by a high stone fence. Desolate but determined to win Sable back, Tate designs, buys the materials for, and builds her own fence. Weeks later, she visits Doc Winston and learns that the animal has disappeared. With the loss of Sable, Tate's focus shifts to helping her family; in turn, her father accepts her as an apprentice in his woodworking shop. An exceptional dog story-with a happy ending- whose length and pencil illustrations, one per chapter, make it attractive to young readers.
Maggie McEwen, Coffin Elementary School, Brunswick, ME
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Redfeather Book from Henry Holt (April 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805057722
• ISBN-13: 978-0805057720
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,610,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Karen Hesse writes about a girl with a loved friend., February 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sable (Turtleback)

The girl has a friend that she cannot keep because it is getting into trouble. Karen Hesse writes about a girl who has a problem with love.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Its everything a little girl ever wants, May 22, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sable (Redfeather Chapter Book) (Paperback)

Sable. . . What a great book. Sable is about a young girl named Tate, and she has wanted a dog since she could ever say the word dog. Then all of a sudden early one day while she was washing dishes for her mom a dog came prancing up the driveway . . . except for one little thing . . . her mom is TERRIFIED of dogs. You see when Tate's mom was about her age a dog nearly tore her hand off. So Tate fed sable, made a bed, braided a collar of string around her neck, and she was fine for a while any way.
The lesson I learned from this story is always take care of your animals, and they will always love you, and always want you. I would have to say that my favorite part in this book was when Tate found Sable out on the front porch of her house. You should probably read this book if you absolutely love dogs, and if you don't. . Keep it to yourself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A heart warming story, April 26, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Sable (Redfeather Chapter Book) (Paperback)

I would like to recomend the book Sable to anyone who beleives in faith. A young girl named Tate Marshal gave up all hope of ever getting a dog. Tate's mother was terifyed of dogs since she had been tor up by a dog when she was young. One day a raggety old dog came to Tate.Tate named her Sable. If you want to figure out what happens you will have to read the rest of the book.