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How Smudge Came
“You respond to the universal pet story before the illustrations show that Cindy is a young woman with Down’s syndrome. [This book] is remarkable in telling it as Cindy sees it. Lightburn’s realistic pictures in soft-tone colored pencil have the same beautiful sense of fragility, steadfastness, and connection.”—Booklist (starred review)
Paperback, 32 pages
Published
September 1st 1998
by Red Deer Press
(first published December 12th 1995)
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This book is about a girl named Cindy that finds a puppu out on the street. Cindy brings the dog home and takes care of it and nobody knows that she has it. The next day Cindy has to go to work so she brings the little puppy with her to work. One of the individuals at Cindy's work is Jan. Jan is sick and is almost blind. When Jan finds out that Cindy has the puppy Jan takes the puppy and starts petting it. Cindy knew it was a good idea to bring the puppy to work with her. When she got home her p...more
This is the story of big-hearted Cindy and the puppy she finds one cold, rainy day on the city streets. She brings him home but knows she can't keep him. She takes him to work and he enchants one of her friends there, but still, the workplace is no home for a puppy. What to do? She can't hide him forever. But when he goes to a local shelter and isn't adopted, the pain is almost more than she can take. For she felt the puppy was HER puppy, and somehow she hopes they can still be together.
Sounds l...more
Sounds l...more
6 likes · like · see review
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"How Smudge Came" by Nan Gregory is a story about a Cindy a girl who appears (never explicitly states)to have Down syndrome who one day finds a puppy. Cindy takes care of her puppy, Smudge, and even takes Smudge to her job at Hospice. However, Cindy lives in a group home and she is not allowed to keep Smudge. She tries to get him back after he has been taken to SPCA, she takes the bus all the way across town but in the end she is too late and Smudge has been adopted. But when Cindy goes to work...more
May 08, 2011
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
This is such a tender story - it brought tears to our eyes as we read it. The love between a human and a pet can create such a strong bond and bring such joy into our lives. And as we've seen many times when my Dad brought his little dog, Honey, to the nursing home, people who are in a care facility who often seem lost and withdrawn get a spark of joy and a light in their eyes when they pet her. So to have that joy snuffed out is a terrible thing and we felt so sad for Cindy when the people who...more
2 likes · like · see review
PB:17 How Smudge Came. What an amazing story that can relate to so many people, especially children who have lost a dog in some way and be reuinted with it in a magical way. Having a new puppy is one of the greatest feelings in the world and so many memories are made. Such a great read for the ordinary child but for adults as well.
I have been looking for this book for years. I kept forgetting to ask Scout what the name of the book she mentioned in class a couple years ago was. This is it. I cried while reading it. So amazing.
This is such a sweet book!!! I read this every year to my kindergarten class. It's a great book for teaching about people different than ourselves and how important it is to treat everybody with respect.
i thought it was a boring little kiddy book that i'd usually read to the kids i babysit......but as i read i found it was a suprisingly good story please read it to your children
This story was beautiful. It was extremely heart felt, and brings tears to your eyes. The illustrations were beautiful and painted the words beautifully.
Such a beautiful story.
How better to understand our common humanity than to peek at the inner world of another — and find it so like our own? Soft, coloured pencil illustrations and sparse, personal narrative relate a poignant story of love and loss, freedom and frustration, heartbreak and, in the end, happiness.
Other books referred to in this podcast: Dr. White
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
Other books referred to in this podcast: Dr. White
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
The story of both Smudge the dog and Cindy (who cleans in a hospice facility) needing to have a home and a place to be loved and needed is very effectively conveyed. The simple colored-pencil drawings are a perfect match for the story. This isn't exactly a kids book to read with the grandchildren; it's more of a touching story that can help address the need to fit or a loss.
I liked this book. It's happy and sad at the same time. Happy because it ends well, a little sad because there are people like Cindy who just aren't allowed to decide for themselves.
Cindy is clearly living in a home of some kind, and I understand that there will have to be rules in a place like that, but still, I think it could have been handled differently by the people in charge.
Cindy is clearly living in a home of some kind, and I understand that there will have to be rules in a place like that, but still, I think it could have been handled differently by the people in charge.
a lovely telling of a girl meets dog story, written for adults and children to enjoy together. a marvelously smooth use of unique characters enhances the book's beauty and widens the appeal.
Dec 30, 2012
Phyllis
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Phyllis by:
Mimi Larson
Shelves:
children-s
Fun children's book with a happy ending.
Apr 30, 2012
Cheryl in CC NV
marked it as library-wishlist
rec. by Kathryn, 3 copies in ILL but not CC
Jun 15, 2013
Samantha
added it
Feb 03, 2013
Marie
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
diversity,
social-studies
Jan 12, 2013
Danielle
marked it as to-read
Jan 03, 2013
Cheryl Vanatti
added it
Oct 29, 2012
Dana Snyder
marked it as to-read
Oct 09, 2012
Tiffany
marked it as to-read
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