Fetch

by Jorey Hurley

Experience the simple joy of a dog’s day at the beach in this vibrant picture book from the acclaimed author-illustrator of Nest , which the New York Times Book Review said was “certain to please aesthetically minded children and adults” and that Shelf Awareness called “a quiet masterpiece.”

As with her debut picture book, Nest , “Hurley lets her bright, clean illustrations do her storytelling, limiting the text on each page to a single, evocative word” ( Publishers Weekly ) in this delightful depiction of a dog’s day at the beach and the joy a simple ball can bring.

With minimal prose and illustrations that echo the patterns of nature, Fetch is a story of the thrill of adventure and the joy of returning home.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals, Storytime, Childrens, Pets, Summer

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 3, 2015

About the author

Jorey Hurley studied art at Princeton, received her law degree from Stanford, and studied design at FIT. She lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Hezekiah Huang · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reminds me of my brothers girlfriend Kala

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graphic novel, the story of a damaged girl/woman and her damaged dog. Some parts were really hard to read due to sad and I put off reading this book but ended up really liking it. I knew/lived with a dog like hers except he lacked most of Beija's good qualities and never felt safe even around me.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the simplicity of this book. Each two page spread has a single word, so the illustrations make the book. Also, many of the words are action verbs, which can be hard to illustrate on a static page, but nearly all of these are done beautifully.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book of single words to help readers tell the story of a dog, a beach, and a ball.

[Haley Shaffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Research notes at the end.

[Lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun look at a dog's day at the beach doing one of it's favorite things... fetching a ball!

Mr. Hurley's story in the back about the inspiration for this tale is pretty funny too, but the overall book is just amusing! Pretty, simple illustrations that give a likely look at a typical beach day and the critters you might see (if you are in the North Pacific Coast area) with a single dialogue word for each two page spread to keep the story moving. I'd read Hurley's Nest before this book and thought it was okay, but wasn't really thrilled with it; this one is delightful!

No content issues.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jorey Hurley has a winner here with a difference from her previous picture books. While one thinks this is all about a dog at the beach chasing a tennis ball, Hurley gives depth to the illustrations by depicting the ocean and some of the common animals found there. This is all accomplished in a seamless story told in the illustrations. Great title.

[Stain’s Number 1 Fan Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows a dogs adventures as he plays fetch with his human at the beach. Each page contains one word (a verb)on each page that describes what the dog is doing in the illustration. This book could be implemented in the classroom in order to introduce and allow discussion about verbs and what their function is in language.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for pre-school kids or even before pre-school. It takes the action of the dog, and puts a picture with that action. Most kids love dogs, so the dog as the main character and at the beach keeps them interested. I would use this book in my classroom when talking about verbs.

[Tammy McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book to read with young kids. With only one word per page (words like search, dive, swim, etc.) it’s great for asking questions, making inferences, and even engaging kiddos in the action words. Loved it!

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a lovely read with really young children. Its nearly wordless - one per page - but the illustrations are beautiful. My favorite it when you need to turn the book because you get a view from underwater as the dog is swimming, so you are seeing what is underwater!

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not to be missed: the Author’s Note with factual info at back of the book

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple dog book. I loved the author's note at the end.

[Bethany Buchanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book. Very simple and easy to follow about a dog and his ball. It’s definitely a new favorite

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

My little brother's first review: woof woof!
He loves dogs

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging for young children despite its single word phrases. Beautiful illustrations and action. My children and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Few words let the pictures and mood shine.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Minimal text storytelling.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Read aloud by himself at 5yo, no words missed)

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Checked out from Des Plaines Public Library in IL, 3.25 stars

[Tory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and beautiful; I like that you have to keep turning the book. Keeps E's interest longer...

[Diane D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chidlren's author/illustrator Jorey Hurley knows how to create beautiful children's books. Her concept of less being more results in the perfect combination -- minimal words and gorgeous illustrations that creates a learning opportunity for little ones. Small pre-school children will not only learn to enjoy books but, will also learn about words at the same time.

In this simple story about a happy day at the beach, one dog spends his time playing in the sand and surf with his red ball. Each turn of the page will show two lovely illustrations and one new word to match the action on the page. Little readers will learn the following words: search, splash, swim, dive, seek crash, meet, catch, run, play, float, find, give and again.

A beautiful book to add to the the collection and to pass down for others to enjoy. The author's first book, Nest, was one that I loved and purchased. Fetch, is a "must buy" as well.

[Khaoi Mady · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. I read this book to my nieces, ages 4 and 7, and they also really enjoyed it. The story is simple to follow and illustrated very well. The story is about a dog and the dog’s adventures while trying to chase a red ball. The book has one word on each page that describes the action on the page. For instance, search, the dog is looking for the ball, and splash, the dog jumped in the water making a splash. The illustrations are simple yet tell the story in great detail. I felt what the dog was thinking throughout the adventure. The story was very personable and interesting. The details can change in every reading of the story based on how the book is being read. I would definitely recommend this book to any dog lover.

Author: Jorey Hurley
Title: Fetch
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Year of Publication: 2015
Genre: Picture Book
Age group: 3 - 7 years

[Russell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone with a heart and a soul is a sucker for a dog playing in the water. If you aren't delighted by watching a dog splashing around, retrieving something excitedly from the water, then you're probably a broken empty shell that plays at being a person.

That said, where the hell is this dog fetching? The little girl throws the ball, and the dog's in deep ocean water playing with dolphins and sea lions? Call me an overprotective helicopter parent if you must, but what stretch of shore has such a steep drop-off that a simple throw can result in the ball ending up over twenty feet or so of water? Should the little girl be playing there?

Good of the seagulls to know how to properly throw a ball.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perhaps it's because I have a lab/golden myself, but I thought this book was really cute. It's a day at the beach for the yellow lab at the heart of this story, and as the ball is thrown in the water, he has an adventure retrieving it. Told in the same one word per page style of Jorey Hurley's Nest, with wonderful illustrations, this is a fun picture book to discover the fun on each page, as the story circles back to where it started. I especially appreciate the author's note at the end that tells of her inspiration for this story and the research-base for the ocean animal elements she included.

[Great Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Told with double page illustrations and a single word describing the action Fetch follows a dog chasing a ball at the beach. The muted colored illustrations across double spreads will help little ones identify the words with the actions of the dog. Two large vertical spreads show the fish and sea creatures as the happy dog swims and floats in the ocean following the bouncy red ball. The story ends with that magical word loved by children and dogs alike –again? Reviewer 19

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In one word action verbs, a dog plays fetch in the ocean. Digital artwork in the perfect beachy palette is the real star, as all of the dog's efforts could be clearly understood even without the carefully chosen text.

Pet owners, especially dog lovers, will love this book and will find it familiar. Great for sharing with PreK-2.

[Bailey Winkler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how with this book kids could relate to it very easily. It's about a dog that plays with his owner doing different activities like playing catch and running on the beach. If a kid was reading this he or she could think about what they would do with their dogs. I also really loved the illustration in this book because they made it realistic.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very simple book which displayed one word on each page about a dog's adventure on the beach. I would use this with younger grades such as K-2nd grade to teach action verbs to the children. The illustrations clearly displayed what each word on the page was describing.