Sophie's Window

by Holly Keller

Caruso is afraid to fly.
And that's a big problem.
Because he is a bird. One night
a wild gust of wind
blows Caruso
off his perch
and across
the stormy sky to
Sophie's window.
Who is Sophie? Sometimes, just like Caruso,
you will find a friend
when you least expect it.
And sometimes a
wonderful friendship
can make you want to try
something you didn't think
you could do.

Genres: Picture Books, Birds, Dogs, Childrens, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Sarah Beth Stair · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
"Sophie's Window" explains the predicament of Caruso, a pigeon who is struggling to learn how to fly. One night he gets blown by the wind to the window of another building and he falls upon Sophie's window. Sophie is a dog who talks to him, calms him down, and eventually helps him get back to his parents. Once Caruso finally gets the courage and strength to fly, he flies back to Sophie's window and plays with his new friend.

Analysis:
This book was pretty cute. I love seeing the friendship between two different animals, and it was so sweet how Sophie reunited Caruso with his family just out of goodwill. The illustrations are not my favorite in this book because I felt they looked a little too childish for this story.

How I will use this book:
I can use this book to teach my students about having the courage to do hard things, like Caruso learning to fly. Also, it teaches that friends can help you out when trying to do hard things, like Sophie helped save Caruso.

[Rose Rosetree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Caruso, a big bird, is afraid to fly. Then a twist of plot brigs him over to Sophie's window. She's a dog who encourages him to learn how to fly.

Pictures are lovely. Words are few.

This book will be especially enjoyable to readers who would prefer reading about animals having adventures... than even having to take one good look at a human character.

Not my preference, to put it mildly. But, since I rate books according to what would be meaningful to the intended readers, I'll score this book FIVE STARS.

[Nicole Darrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story of an animal friendship. A wind lifts Caruso away before he knows how to fly and he lands on the window sill of Sophie the dog. She gets him home safely and when he does learn to fly he has a friend to visit.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

Caruso is a young pigeon who isn't ready to fly, but a wind swoops him away and he ends up at Sophie (the dog's) window. Since Caruso can't fly home, Sophie takes him home. When Caruso is ready to fly, he comes back to visit her.

[Kiyoko]

A timid bird, a friendly puppy, and a child-size story about personal growth and friendship.

[Bethany Brown]

Sophie’s Window by Holly Keller tells us about Sophie, a dog, and Caruso, a bird who doesn’t know how to fly yet. One day Caruso gets blown onto Sophie’s window and the two have an adventure getting Caruso back home.
This book was a touching story about two unlikely friends, and it was really sweet. It wasn’t my favorite book in the world, but I still really liked it.
I would use this book to help kids understand that they should be friends with people and to help them learn to try new things, just like Caruso tried to fly.

[Suzannah Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pigeon is scared to fly. As fate would have it, he meets an unexpected friend who gives him courage to spread his wings.
This book was not my favorite. There wasn't anything really deep about it. It was cute, but it could have had much more of a story.
I would use this book to talk to a class about friendship and about helping people face their fears. I'm not sure I would jump to recommend it.

[Karissa Kelly]

Sophie's Window is about a little bird named Caruso who can't fly. Every time he looks down from his perch on his tall building, Caruso just knows he'll fall with a great SPLAT! One night though, the wind picked up and started howling, so Caruso went to go look. That's when the wind lifted Caruso up into the air and then down to a windowsill. Not sure where he was, a friendly looking dog poked her head out the window. Her name was Sophie, and she wanted to know why Caruso was there. Caruso told her the story and then said he wanted to go home but couldn't fly. That's when Sophie said follow me, but Caruso was too slow, so he sat on Sophie's back while she went from street to street. Finally, they arrived at Caruso's home and before he could say goodbye, Sophie was gone. Saddened that he never thanked Sophie, Caruso decided to try flying one more time. He began to flap his wings, and soon he was off his perch flying through the air straight to Sophie's window.

Sophie's Window was a really cute book. Caruso wanted so badly to fly, and I thought his motivation to fly at the end was a good way to tie the story together. Holly Keller, the author and illustrator, also did a great job with her illustrations because they really brought the story to life.

I think Sophie's Window would be a wonderful read in a classroom or for pleasure. The story really focuses on friendship and how friends help their friends out. Overall, I definitely recommend reading this book.

[Jennesy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sophie's Window is the cutest book. It is a great book about friendship and learning to do something new and scary. Learning how to fly was the one thing Caruso did not want to try because he was scared. Once he was blown away, he found a new friend, which helped him find home again. Caruso wanted to see Sophie again so he tried really hard, harder, and he tried his hardest to fly, and guess what? HE DID IT!

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caruso the pigeon needs to learn how to fly. He's terrified. What if he falls down splat? What if he gets lost? Then one night the howling wind wakes him up and carries him off. He suddenly lands on a ledge and notices a friendly face looking at him. It's Sophie, the dog. Together they figure out how to get Caruso home. And when Caruso finally learns to fly he visits Sophie as often as he can.

[Deborah Harris]

Caruso in a young bird who does not know how to fly. He is blown out of his nest in a storm and has to find his way home. He finds a friend in Sophie a dog who helps Caruso find his way home. The text uses onomatopoeias and uniquely written text to help tell the story.

[Jenna's Mom · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book about growing up, trying new things, being brave and friendship. I think Jenna liked it; I don't think she loved it.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

With enough motivation and the kindness of a friend, a little city pigeon learns how to fly