Looking Out for Sarah - Softcover

Lang, Glenna

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1570916071 ISBN 13: 9781570916076

Publisher: Charlesbridge, 2003

Synopsis

In this story of friendship, loyalty, and trust, readers spend a day in the life of Sarah and her guide dog, Perry. Perry helps Sarah go shopping, to the post office, and take the train to school. Sarah, a blind musician and teacher, entertains the children and tells them about the time she and Perry walked from Boston to New York to show the world what a blind person can accomplish with the help of a guide dog like Perry.
Told from the perspective of Perry, readers will learn about the service of seeing-eye dogs and how anything can be accomplished through perseverance and friendship.

Expressive, stylized paintings in bold colors and simple shapes convey the extraordinary relationship between Sarah and Perry.

About this title

About the Author

Glenna Lang studied art at the Boston Museum School. Her past work includes illustration for Robert Frost's The Runaway, Robert Louis Stevenson's My Shadow, James Whitcomb Riley's When the Frost Is on the Punkin, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Children's Hour.
Glenna lives in Cambridge with her husband and daughter and their dog.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Readers follow a guide dog and a blind woman through a typical day. There are bits of information about guide dogs throughout, such as the fact that they are allowed in restaurants and stores and that people should not pet and handle them while they are working. An interesting incident that only gets two sentences is the fact that Sarah and Perry once walked the 300 miles from Boston to New York to show "what a guide dog can do for a blind person." A concluding note explains that the book is based on a real dog and a real person. While this is a charming and informative look at the life of the guide dog, it is not without some minor flaws. At times, Perry has too many human characteristics. Also, the text states that when Sarah puts on her purple sweater, Perry knows they are going to a school, but dogs are color-blind. The full-page illustrations are in soft-toned gouache that looks almost like cut paper. The layout is the same throughout, with large pictures on a single page and two or three lines of text. This informative and easy-to-read book is a good addition to most collections. It would be interesting to use in conjunction with Nicola Moon's Lucy's Picture (Dial, 1995; o.p.), the story of a little girl making a collage picture for her blind grandfather.

Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Charlesbridge
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 1570916071
• ISBN 13: 9781570916076
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Lang Glenna