 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
No Roses for Harry!
- By Gene Zion
- Genre: For Beginning Readers
Common Sense Media says
Everyone comes out a winner in delightful story.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the depictions of dogs, cats, birds, and insects, not to mention Harry himself, are a delight for both children and grown-ups. Harry goes to great lengths to try to "lose" an unwanted gift.
What's the story?
Who hasn't received a well-intentioned but totally inappropriate gift? Harry determines to lose the embarrassing rose-patterned dog sweater from Grandma, but his efforts are constantly thwarted, until he receives help from a loose stitch and a nesting bird. Marvelous illustrations keep kids giggling at fashion victim Harry even as they sympathize with his plight.
Is it any good?
Margaret Graham's deft rendering of Harry's features -- ears, eyes, tail, and posture -- eloquently convey Harry's dejection and shame when he finds himself mocked by his canine peers. Likewise, as his family searches fruitlessly for the missing sweater, Harry assumes a look of combined innocence and craftiness.
Children getting into the peer-group and fashion-consciousness mode of preschool and first grade readily respond to this story, which safely and humorously displaces some of their concerns onto Harry the dog. The old-fashioned style of the book (first published in 1958) doesn't seem to be a problem, and, for many grown-up readers, it's a bonus. Nostalgia-prone adults will love Graham's small town, where people dress up to go shopping and every little store has its resident pet.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about embarrassment. Have you ever felt silly about wearing something? Why? What did you do?
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| Author: | Gene Zion |
| Illustrator: | Margaret Bloy Graham |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | For Beginning Readers |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Children's Books |
| Publication date: | October 6, 1976 |
| Number of pages: | 32 |
| Paperback price: | $6.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 4 - 7 |
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