Floss

by Kim Lewis

A warmhearted story about the importance of having fun. When Floss leaves the town where she grew up to become a sheepdog on a farm, she'd like to play with the farmer's children. But with so much work, there's isn't time--until the farmer realizes his children need Floss as a companion as much as she need them. Full color.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Dogs, Childrens, Fiction, 1st Grade, Friendship

27 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Kim Lewis is an author and illustrator of children’s picture books.

Reviews

[Fern A · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favourite children’s books, so much so I have a dog named Floss! Back home for Christmas so it was time for a trip down memory lane and a quick reread!

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Nice illustrations. The summary tells you everything that is in the book. Simple story.

[Lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book and it was a lot like real life I loved the illustrations as they look so real but the farmer shouted at floss (a dog) but a very nice book❤️

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book features a young border collie who leaves town where she loves playing ball with the children to go learn how to herd sheep. I loved the illustrations in this one.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, I'm a nervous dog book reader...I think it goes back to Where the Red Fern Grows. But I digress. Floss is a happy dog living in the city--taking walks and playing with children in the park--until her owner takes her to a farm...no, no--not "the farm" but a farm so that she may learn how to be a herding dog to assist the aging Nell. When she breaks training to play with the farm chlidren, we all got a little nervous about her future...but all's well that end's well (no tragedy here). Enjoyable.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do I really need to say anything? yes, I love Border Collies. What's your point?

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Floss tells a story of a working farm dog finding chances to play with children.

Living in a rural area working dogs are common. I think the story is quite accurate to life as a working farm dog, but it feels a shame that more isn't made of the emotions of the characters.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute

[Bethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winter break bookaday 29. 5 stars. Re-reading this one for the umpteenth time - one of my most favorite border collie books ever. I adore Lewis’s illustrations, so realistic and full of life & love.

[Alana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to a child in my Year 2 class and they absolutely loved it!

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book. I don’t know how I missed getting this recorded here on Goodreads. Simple stories with exquisite illustrations are the most memorable. Floss is one of those books.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

6/6/19 Read with Naomi, Julia, Micah, and Skylar for our Summer Book Club

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

AR 2.9

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great picture book for preschool and Young elementary kids. Floss is a dog with lots of spunk and lots of love.

[Maddie Deacon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great story book for children. The illustrations tell a story of their own!

[Jessica Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book when I was little

[Sharon Weinschreider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a sweet, simple story on the importance of work and play.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the nostalgia

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous book about working hard but still keeping the child within you alive. I adore the drawings in this book. Work hard, play harder!

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the illustrations alone would give this book 5 stars. The story line is sweet, though probably closer to 3.5-4 stars. It I’m letting the illustrations carry this one. :)

[Rebel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Floss is such a good dog

[Jessica Atwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

My little boys loved this simple tale of a border collie sheepdog who loves playing ⚽️ and has to learn that work comes before play. Lovely colored pencil illustrations and understated text.

[Paul T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daughter loved it

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floss was a smart young collie who lived with her owner in the city. She loved to play ball with children in the park. When Floss was taken to a sheep farm she learned to herd sheep, but she still longed to play ball with children.
This fabulously illustrated book brings family, work, play, compromise together in a beautiful story.

[Pamela Hatch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floss is a city dog enjoying playing ball in the park with the children. But she is growing up and it's time to work more and play less. She is taken to her owner's son's farm to learn to be a sheepdog. She is learning her trade but it is hard to forget the fun she had playing ball. When Floss gets distracted by children at play, the sheep get away and there is doubt as to if Floss will ever make a good sheepdog. So Floss must learn when it is good to work and when it is time to play.

It is interesting at the end of the book, it shows that Old Nell the old sheepdog who had worked all her life, didn't know how to play, so she had to learn from Floss.

The illustrations are just beautiful and sometimes a page has more than one with extra pictures in the border to add to the story experience.

The paperback copy of the book I had included a wonderful "Note to Parents and Teachers" on the back of the front cover which shared ideas of how to teach kids the love of reading and books. For example, it summarizes the story like this: A story about the importance of taking time to play, FLOSS can help launch discussions with children about balancing responsibilities with fun, and about growing up and growing old. It also offers a fascinating glimpse into life on a sheep farm in Scotland and may inspire children to learn more about farming, working dogs, and other animals that are trained to help people.

If you like FLOSS, there are more titles in this series.

[Michael Adam]

Book title: Floss

Writer: Kim Lewis

Synopsis:
Floss is a Border collie who belonged to an old man. The old man’s son is a farmer who needed help to herd his sheep on his farm as his sheep dog was too old to work. Floss enjoyed playing ball with the local children. Floss worked very hard herding the sheep on the farm. However no other dog could play ball with the children like Floss could. This is what Floss enjoyed doing the most.

Review:
Floss is a great picture book about an old man and his young playful Border collie. The book demonstrates how because Floss worked very hard on the farm herding sheep she was rewarded with being allowed to play ball with the children. This story has a great moral for pupils to relate to as it shows with hard work comes reward.
This book could be used in EYFS or key stage one. It would be great for assisted reading with a pupil where they can build on their vocabulary and visual learning. It also could be used for story time due to the moral behind the story.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids loved this because it involves a dog. I love it because it takes place in the English countryside. It should almost be read with an accent. But it's a sweet story reminding of to work hard and play hard. But sometimes all work makes Old Nell a dull dog.

Although the attraction of the dog did draw my new reader into the story and she was more inclined to figure words out because she wanted to know what would happen with the dog. My littler girls were happy to look at the pictures, which are lovely, while their older sister sounded out words. Over the next several days they all have requested it to be read multiple times over.

[Ruqayya Jarad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Floss by Kim Lewis, A story about the importance of having fun. Floss is a happy dog lives with an old man in the city. Floss enjoys walks and plays with children in the park until her owner takes her to a farm to become a sheepdog. She'd like to play with the farmer's children. But with so much work, there's isn't time. One day she runs off to play and the sheep scatter as a result she gets into trouble. Time passes, Floss works hard and one day the children ask if they can play ball with Floss again. The farmer agrees as he realizes his children need Floss as a companion as much as she needs them. Age 4-7

[Amy Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely story to read with great sensitivity and beautiful illustrations. The illustrations tell more of a story than the words do and would really help children to imagine the story well. There are lots of contrasts between living in the countryside and also in the town which is very interesting to read and would lead to a good discussion in class. Great PSHE links as it talks a lot about chores which some children may have to do at home (e.g. tidy their room or washing the dishes) - this allows them to sympathise with the character.

[Megan Breslow · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the story of a collie who moves from the city to the farm and has to get use to being a working dog instead of a pet. Its an ok story though I did not feel it has a clear resolution. The farmer lets her play with his kids but the day before yelled at her for doing this... does this mean she gets to play and work or is he giving up on her as a work dog? So many questions and the story was not that engrossing.