Follow My Leader (Paperback)

by James B. Garfield (Author) "Gold is valueless until mined, oil is useless at the bottom of the well, and my slight talent would not have found expression but for..." (more)
Key Phrases: white cane, Miss Thompson, Aunt Martha, Miss Young (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
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 9-12
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (December 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140364854
• ISBN-13: 978-0140364859
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #142,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 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 (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timeless Classic, February 20, 2005

By	Glenn M. Schoditsch (Richmond, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

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 am very pleased to see it still in print.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Boy and His Dog, June 13, 2005

By	J. H. Minde "Can you keep up?" (Boca Raton, Florida and Brooklyn, New York) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

James Garfield has entertained and enlightened generations of schoolchildren with this classic tale of perseverance.

Jimmy Carter is an All-American eleven year old dreaming of playing in the big leagues when he is accidentally blinded in a playground accident.

Although Jimmy first sinks into self-pity, his fortune changes when he meets Social Worker Miss Thompson, who teaches him how to use a white cane and read braille. Miss Thompson also arranges for Jimmy to receive a guide dog, Leader, who becomes Jimmy's "four-legged eyes." With Leader's help, Jimmy reclaims a life he thought was closed to him forever.

FOLLOW MY LEADER is a good old-fashioned story of how determination helps to overcome all obstacles. Jimmy's story shows young readers how even a simple task like crossing a room can be fraught with risks, but it also encourages children to develop a sense of self-reliance, as Jimmy travels alone cross-country to the school where he meets and learns to work with Leader, and learns to adapt to the world around him.

And lastly, it is a tale of forgiveness, as Jimmy comes to terms with the boy responsible for his accident, and ultimately, his own circumstances.

A careful reading of the Dedication makes it clear that FOLLOW MY LEADER is semiautobiographical.

And just as trivia: I have always found it oddly fascinating that author James Garfield, who shares a name with a President named his protagonist Jimmy Carter, the name of another President who served decades after the original publication of this book.

Highly readable, enjoyable, informative, and recommended for both children and adults.