Harry and Hopper by Margaret Wild and Freya Blackwood (2009)

This book is about Harry and his dog Hopper. Harry and Hopper do everything together. One day, Harry comes home to find out that there was an accident and Hopper was dead. For the next few nights, Harry dreams of Hopper, but his memories begin to fade until he finally feels it is time to say goodbye.

I think this is my favorite picture book that I have read during this class. I am a huge animal lover, so I can easily relate to the love that Harry has for Hopper. Through the text, you really feel the emotions that Harry feels (and I'll admit it, I teared up a little bit.) The illustrations also brought the text to life. As Harry's memories of Hopper start to fade, you see the image of Hopper fade as well. I plan on reading this book again in the future.

I think this would be a great book to have in the classroom. Many students deal with the loss of a pet, and sometimes it is hard to console them. I think this would be a great book to read to a student individually if you know that an important pet has passed away. That way you can talk to them about their feelings and give them a character they can easily identify with.