The Accident

Christopher #3

by Carol Carrick, Donald Carrick (Illustrator)

After his dog is hit by a truck and killed, Christopher must deal with his own feelings of depression and guilt.

Genres: Picture Books, Death, Childrens, Animals, Grief, Dogs

32 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1976

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was surprised that at the beginning of a story which is the 3rd book out of a series of 8 about a boy and his dog that the dog gets hit by a car. I know in the old days dogs ran about without a lead and this was written some time ago but I would have thought that the story might have mentioned that perhaps Bodger should have been on a lead near a road. If this had been a story about Bodger dying of old age or something unavoidable it might have been a story that children suffering the loss of a pet could have identified with but I was left feeling Bodger shouldn't have been running off lead across a road and the book didn't get that point across

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christopher and his dog Bodger return in this heartbreaking follow-up to their adventures in Carol and Donald Carrick's Sleep Out and Lost in the Storm . Walking down a country road near his family's summer house one evening, Christopher is there when Bodger is struck and killed, after darting out in front of a pickup truck. His anger, first at the driver, and then at his father for not being able to set things right, eventually gives way to loss and grief. After Bodger is buried the next day, Christopher goes on a canoe trip with his father, to select a head stone for his beloved dog's grave, finding some peace and healing in the process...

Published in 1976, The Accident feels a little bit dated, and not just in terms of the illustrations. I'm not really sure when it became a common practice to use a leash, when out walking one's dog, but I suspect that in the 1970s it wasn't considered as necessary as it is today, particularly in rural settings. It's quite possible that it is still uncommon in rural settings today, although hopefully not near roads. In any case, I suspect that many readers encountering the story today, especially in more urban or suburban settings, will be struck by this issue, to the detriment of the story. Of course, even in less rural settings, dogs sometimes do get off their leash, so an accident like this might indeed be something that a contemporary child might witness, and the consequent loss something they might experience.

Despite that fact (and leaving the issue of the leash aside), I still felt that the realistic depiction of Bodger dying in the road - his legs twitch, at one point - might be more graphic in nature than is appropriate for younger picture-book audiences. Children who have lost a beloved animal companion in an accident that they didn't witness might be further traumatized, while others who have not experienced such a loss might be made fearful. I did think that Carrick did a good job exploring the stages of grief through which Christopher moved, but I question whether this would be a helpful book. I'd recommend this one primarily to adult readers interested in the Carricks' work (as I am), but would suggest that if it is intended for a child reader, that some adult screen it first, to see if it is appropriate for their circumstances.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

After his dog, Badger, is hit by a truck and killed, Christopher must deal with his own feelings of depression, guilt and anger. Finally, Christopher and his dad work through the grief by finding a stone to mark Bodger’s grave.

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

He may be sad but the truck driver never was remembered by the next pages.

[Killthehumans Savetheforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sad af.

[Taylor Hainley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book, "The Accident" was about a little boy named Christopher and his dog Bodger. Christopher's parents went out and Christopher and Bodger go out looking for them. While they were about looking for his parents, a car coming around the corner of the road too fast hit Bodger in his car. The car had killed Bodger and Christopher was so upset. His parents showed up right after that happened and Christopher told him what had happened. Christopher was so mad and upset that he blamed his parents for Bodger getting killed by the car. At the end of the story, Christopher and his father canoe to the other side of the lake to find a nice stone to mark where Bodger is buried. Christopher and his father shared stories they had about Bodger and at the end of the story Christopher realized he shouldn't have blamed his parents for his dogs death. I might use this in my classroom to explain to my students that they can't always control what is going to happen in their life. Sometimes bad things might happen, but they do not need to blame others for it. I might also have my students make a booklet for this story to show the sequence of events that occur during this book as an activity to do along with this book.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book in my library while cleaning out some cabinets. It had been taken out of our collection but the title intrigued me so I read it. It is important to note this book was copyrighted in 1976. I found this book so heartbreaking-a young boy and his dog set out to find his parents and the dog gets hit by a car and dies. It was so sudden and I wasn't expecting it so it was very jarring. It had a sweet ending but I think more time needed to be spent on the boys feelings and how to deal with it. Now I can definitely see why it was taken out of circulation-and it came with a cassette tape too! Imagine listening to this story as a young child in a literacy station?

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Be warned: in this children's book, the main character's dog dies after being hit by a car.