Saying Goodbye to Lulu [Hardcover]

Corinne Demas (Author), Ard Hoyt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004 | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Aspca Henry Bergh Children's Book Awards (Awards)

A young girl and her lovable dog, Lulu, are the best of friends and do everything together. As Lulu ages and starts to slow down the girl shows her compassion by making Lulu comfortable in her bed and helping to feed her. When Lulu dies the caring, young girl must comes to terms with her loss and find a way to say goodbye. This lyrical and touching story will tug at the heartstrings of all readers--young and old.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2–Lulu, a black-and-white mutt, is adored by her freckle-faced owner, a girl whose parents gently guide her through the various stages of caring for an aging and then very sick dog. When the inevitable happens, memories of the past and hope for the future bring a bittersweet conclusion to this straightforward and affecting story. The emotions of the nameless narrator are clearly and simply shown. She describes how, when Lulu became blind and deaf, she "…fed her from my hand and held her water bowl so she could drink." The pictures, too, excel in tenderness without sentimentality. The realistic-looking cartoons, done with watercolor, colored pencil, and pen and ink, strongly convey the personalities of both girl and dog as they share good times and difficult moments. While this book does not break any new ground, it is accessible and appealing, and the death of a pet is a perennial childhood issue. Two similar titles, DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's A Dog Like Jack (Holiday, 1999) and Marjorie Blain Parker's Jasper's Day (Kids Can, 2002), feature boys as main characters, so a book about a girl facing the same situation is welcome.–Lauralyn Persson, Wilmette Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 2. A girl cares tenderly for her old dog, Lulu, whose vision, hearing, and general health are declining. Though she wishes that they could play together as they used to, she knows that her dog will not get well. Lulu dies and is buried in the backyard, but it takes some months before the girl can say good-bye. As the story ends, she meets her new puppy and finds that her heart has room for Lulu and her new dog too. This first-person narrative relates events and expresses the girl's feelings in a matter-of-fact yet affecting way. When Lulu dies, the narrator is torn between longing and fear: "I wanted to say good-bye, but I was afraid too." Among the book's many strengths is the way Demas uses sensory details to bring the story to life: the child doesn't just miss Lulu--she misses the thump of her tail and the softness of her fur. Hoyt's expressive illustrations, ink-and-colored-pencil drawings washed with watercolors, reflect the tone of the text and show the child's sadness without sentimentality. In one particularly effective spread, the girl sits alone on her school bus, isolated in her stillness from the other children. A sensitive, hopeful portrayal. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316702781
• ISBN-13: 978-0316702782
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,033,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Corinne Demas is the author of two collections of short stories, three novels, a memoir, a collection of poetry, a play, and numerous books for children. She is Professor of English at Mount Holyoke College and a fiction editor of the Massachusetts Review. Before the year 2000, she published her books under the name Corinne Demas Bliss.

Corinne grew up in New York City, in Stuyvesant Town, the subject of her memoir, "Eleven Stories High: Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town 1948-1968". She attended Hunter College High School, graduated from Tufts University, and completed a Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University. She lived in Pittsburgh for a number of years, teaching at the University of Pittsburgh and at Chatham College.

She lives with her family in Western Massachusetts and spends the summer on Cape Cod. You will find more information at her website: www.corinnedemas.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Touching, May 18, 2005

By 

Butterscotch (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saying Goodbye to Lulu (Hardcover)

This is a very moving book that tells the story of a young girl and her aging dog. As she reminiscences about her dog and how he used to be, an adult will get the sense of impending doom but children may not see the dog's death coming. The book is quite positive at the outset, describing how the dog is aging but used to enjoy games, running, jumping, etc. The death comes rather fast and yes, in a blunt way, but it's touching and makes me cry every time I start reading it. It's a wonderful book for children who have an older pet and those who have recently lost one; it tells the story of love between humans and animals, the joys they bring us, and the happiness that can be found with a new pet and new bond as well. It's realistic and you can't shield children from life. This book deals with a sad subject in an open manner and makes you feel something too. I'd highly recommend it because, in addition to poignant writing the illustrations are beautiful.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loving LuLu, February 9, 2008

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Saying Goodbye to Lulu (Hardcover)

This box of Kleenex book is about a young girl preparing to say goodbye to her beautiful dog LuLu. She, like the young boy in I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU describes how she and the dog grew up together and have been lifelong friends. She recounts how she and her beautiful dog played together, yet lately her dog no longer can see or hear or move around comfortably. LuLu becomes lethargic and spends a lot of her time sleeping.

LuLu eventually dies and the girl's mother tells her the sad news. The girl goes through the usual and expected grieving states of sadness and anger. Her father tells her that she can pick out another dog, but the girl insists that LuLu in her healthier days is the only dog she wants.

Like the boy in I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, the family buries LuLu in their back yard. To honor the dog's memory, they plant a cherry tree over her grave. It is then when that tree is in blossom that the girl can finally say goodbye and fully accept the death of her beloved dog. She even gets a new puppy.

This is a very moving and wonderful book that might even make you cry. It was especially poignant for me because as a child I had a terrier mix who looked a lot like LuLu and I was quite sad when she became old and infirm and died. She was a wonderful dog.

This is a book that will help ALL ages move through and recognize the grieving process. Excellent books like this and I'll Always Love You, Old Dog and the Christmas Wish, Jasper's Day and The Rainbow Bridge: Pet Loss Is Heaven's Gain help children AND adults realize that not only is it okay to be sad, but it is understandable and even accepted. Anger is often part of the grieving process, especially when a beloved pet dies. This astute author reminds all readers and listeners that these feelings will eventually pass and in time the child and others who loved the pet can think fondly on the animal with love and happiness.

I give this book the highest possible endorsement. People of ANY age who have ever lost a pet or who have a pet near death will find comfort in this book.

To Corinne Demas, I say a heartfelt (with tears in my eyes) THANK YOU!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Illustrated, May 19, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Saying Goodbye to Lulu (Hardcover)

I thought this book covered the loss of a pet to old age very well. My friend thought it was too blunt. I prefer to think of it as honest. Death is not sugar-coated or euphemized. The story talks about remembering, grieving, honoring, and learning to love another pet.