Finding a Friend in the Forest

In appealing prose and watercolor illustrations, this book retells the true story of Jasper, an aging beagle that belongs to a couple who buy a fishing camp in the Maine woods. After unsuccessful attempts to make friends with a variety of forest animals, Jasper and his owners meet a crippled whitetail doe that makes their camp her home. The deer and dog become inseparable and spend many seasons together at the water's edge, the doe often bringing her fawns to meet her longtime friend.

PreSchool-Grade 3–Northern Maine is the setting for this gentle story. While investigating his surroundings, an inquisitive beagle has his fish dinner snatched by a raven, encounters an unfriendly moose, and is teased by a red fox. When an injured deer arrives in his owners' front yard, the dog at first guards his territory, but then begins to form an attachment with the doe and eventually becomes her protector. The straightforward narrative offers observations on wildlife behavior and the changing seasons, and the realistic watercolor illustrations offer appealing animal close-ups.–Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
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