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How does an old woman who has outlived all her friends keep from being lonely? By naming the things in her life she knows she will never outlive--like her house, Franklin, and her bed, Roxanne. When a shy brown puppy appears at her front gate, the old woman wont name it, because it might not outlive her. Tender watercolors capture the charm of this heartwarming story of an old woman who doesnt know shes lonely until she meets a plucky puppy who needs a name--and someone to love.
jackwalts, February 5, 2011 (view all comments by jackwalts)
Folks raising livestock know this all too well. Never name them. When the time comes to send them to market it'll be hard even on the hardest hearts. I enjoyed her sensitivity and creativeness and liked it when she was presented with the problem of the puppy. She not only had to name it, but she'd found that she had to face her own fears and admit that others had needs also. It is one thing to name inanimate objects like a car or a bed, but quite another to name another being (in this case a puppy) who might be taken from you.
Roberta, August 29, 2006 (view all comments by Roberta)
The Old Woman Who Named Things strikes a chord with kids, but is also a wonderful book for adults, especially those confronting their own or a loved one's getting old. My daughter asked me to read it to her class in elementary school, and I almost refused because I knew I'd cry when I got to the last page. I always do cry, no matter how many times I read the book: not because it's sad (it's happy) but because it's so life-affirming.
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