Harry & Hopper

by Margaret Wild

When Harry’s beloved dog Hopper dies, he has a hard time letting go, as Harry sees Hopper still in his life. Are Hopper’s visits to Harry the boy’s imagination, or is the dog truly leaving Harry gradually, once he makes sure his boy will be all right? Eyes will not stay dry as readers experience this beautifully written, gently illustrated story about losing a dear pet.

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

Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Margaret Wild is one of Australia's most highly respected picture-book creators whose award-winning children's books are loved by children all over the world. Margaret has published over seventy picture books for young children and she has been the recipient of the Nan Chauncy Award and the Lady Cutler Award for her contributions to Australian children's literature.

Reviews

[Mischenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

To see this review and to learn more about Margaret Wild please visit www.readrantrockandroll.com

Harry & Hopper by Margaret Wild is a book about a boy coping with the loss of his dog Hopper.

This is a very emotional story that had me tearing up fairly quickly. I haven't read a book this emotional since Ida, Always.

I love the sketched illustrations and the way the story unfolds. Even though it's a gently told story, it's extremely sad.

4****

[Josiah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What have you done to me, Margaret Wild? It's been nearly four months since I first read Harry & Hopper, four months since that unforgettable day I turned the pages on what may be the most powerful work of literature I've ever known, sobbing so long and hard that I thought my family would hear me in my bedroom even from downstairs, even with my door closed and the fan running on high. It's been one-third of a year since the story of Harry and his excitable, loving dog, Hopper, shattered my heart into a thousand pieces, yet when I leafed back through the book just now to briefly reacquaint myself with it before writing this review, I found myself again racked with uncontrollable sobs, crying so hard it felt like I was losing my soul. Margaret Wild, what have you done to me, destroying my heart again with this most enormously powerful of all picture books I have ever read, possibly the most powerful book of any kind I've experienced in my entire life? I've read torturously poignant stories before, ones that left me weeping for a long while, but nothing quite like Harry & Hopper, which won't let go of me all these months later. How does such unimaginable beauty as this exist in a world capable of producing the haunting heartache felt by a boy who loses his best friend? How can grief's heartsong be so universal, possessed of such inescapable gravitational pull upon the reader's heart? There is a world of books out there, and then there's Harry & Hopper; I couldn't be more serious about the legitimacy of drawing that distinction. And I still just don't know what to do with this book.

A puppy with legs springy as a grasshopper's practically begs for the name "Hopper", and that's the handle attached to him by his new boy, Harry, when the two first meet. Hopper isn't just a four-legged alleviation of boredom to Harry; the two are soul mates, forever companions, assisting each other in every area of life, fully aware of the mutual love they feel. Hopper is Harry's best friend, able comforter, partner in mild mischief, everything a puppy could be for his young master. Hopper isn't above bending the rules from time to time, sneaking past Harry's paternal sentry to cozy up beside his boy in bed at night, a duo of friends reunited for the long voyage into dreamland. When your closest friend sleeps under the same roof, who wouldn't want him in bed beside you? If only the lovely glow of best-friendship could last into eternity without interruption. If only companions meant for evermore were never separated by a foe as merciless as mortality. If only.

What a desperate loneliness silence can be, when it signifies that a routine greeting is no more. Hopper is gone, and it doesn't matter why. It doesn't matter what condolences are expressed or apologies given. It doesn't matter if an endless row of sympathetic ears hover by to listen and comfort. What matters is the death of love, and a small heart splintering under the weight of pain. For Harry, it means telling no one at school about the life-changing event that has hit his life like a super-storm. He won't even admit it to himself. There's no way this can be true, because if it is, then what is left of Harry's life? How can he distinguish his own life from what he shares with Hopper? Every part of Harry's existence is tinged with the color Hopper brought to it, relentless reminders of what there is to mourn. Harry doesn't even want to sleep in his own bed anymore, where Hopper would joyfully curl up beside him so the two best friends could doze the night away in the quietness of contentment. It's too much for a boy to handle, far too much.

But at night's hushful beckoning, beneath the luminous net cast by alabaster starlight, love's quintessence is discovered anew as Hopper comes to Harry in his hour of desperate need, eagerly licking his boy's face, jumping around like the puppy he once was. Hopper would never really leave Harry forever, would he? Jubilant pup and overjoyed kid frolic under the sacred night sky for hours, the beauty of friendship whole again, a sight for sore hearts to hold onto and never let go. Harry awakens in the morning wondering if his outing with Hopper was a dream, but returns to his bedroom window the next night to look for his dog, and sure enough, Hopper is happily waiting outside for his boy again. Only, Hopper's physical form isn't as solid as last night. He isn't as warm or lively. The following night, Hopper doesn't come to Harry's window at all. Harry sets off to look for his faithful friend, worried that their miraculous reunions may not last, and finds Hopper lying outside the window in the still, gentle night, wispy and ephemeral, the fading ghost of a happy, warm dog who had once given his all to make his boy happy, and continued to do so even after death. With a sorrow as crushing as losing the best friend you'll ever have, who else can possibly help you through it but the friend you lost? Such love could never simply end, fizzling out in the darkness of a mysterious universe as if it never existed in the first place. Love always returns to guard over one so precious. Always. Now it's Harry's turn to take care of Hopper, tenderly retrieving his friend in his arms to bring him to bed, to spend one last night cuddled beside each other before his beloved pet vanishes into the realm beyond human understanding. One last chance to gaze into those eyes "glimmering with mischief and delight", as they did every night they had together. "'Good-bye, Hopper,' said Harry softly."

How can a story of such whimsical hope and happiness be so utterly devastating? Harry & Hopper is a wonderful, beautiful book, yet its sadness is so deep I can't come anywhere near reaching the bottom. Relationships like Harry and Hopper's are so rare, most people get only one like it their entire lives, if they get that. When you've found your Hopper, you've got to hold on real tight, because you won't want to let him or her go for anything in the world. Truly no trade for anything could ever approximate the value of such a companion. The representation of losing that extraordinary love, even just the representation of the loss, is so awful that it's difficult to bear even for the time it takes to read this slim picture book to its end. The loss is so gravely injurious, I couldn't write this review without crying the entire time. I just couldn't. The departure of a Hopper is sadness too heavy to bear...but the temporary return of the adoring puppy to his loving master's side is emotional overload ten times as acute as the passing itself. The poignancy of love regained for a moment, but destined to evaporate again like the mists on a foggy morning, lifts the enduring friendship of Harry and Hopper to become the stuff of legend. Maybe friendship can last forever, in the souls and minds of readers everywhere who will hold Harry and Hopper—and Harry & Hopper—in their hearts for all time, generation after generation without end.

I just...I don't know what to do with this book. I think I'm ready to say it may be on level with E.B. White's Charlotte's Web as the two greatest books among all the thousands I've read in my lifetime. Yes, it's that powerful. I've said before that if ever a perfect book in English existed, I believe Charlotte's Web is that book, but Harry & Hopper is just as legitimate a suitor to perfection, in my opinion. The emotions of this story are so intense that it has likely short-circuited the power source of my own writing, rendering this review unworthy of the book it seeks to commend. I understand and accept that, for none could write better than Margaret Wild has in Harry & Hopper, and no illustrator could have turned in a finer performance than Freya Blackwood, whose faint, dreamlike renderings of a boy and his dog in their dwindling hours of togetherness are flawlessly suited to the text. I am in awe of this impossibly moving book, and there isn't enough I can say to let you know how much it means to me. I don't believe I will read a book greater than Harry & Hopper no matter how long I live, and that's okay. I've got Harry & Hopper. And in these pages, their friendship will live on forever, as joyful and inspiring as the day we first met.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prolific Australian children's author Margaret Wild, whose work ranges from young adult verse-novels such as One Night , to dystopian picture-books like Woolvs in the Sitee , turns her attention here to that perennial childhood problem: the death of a pet. Hopper, so named because he was "as jumpy as a grasshopper" when he first came to live with his humans as a young puppy, was Harry's constant and loving companion. Until, that is, the day that Harry came home and learnt that he had been killed in an accident. Unable to process the news, or to grieve, Harry isolates himself for a time, until a series of ghostly visits allow him the opportunity to say goodbye....

Chosen as the 2010 Kate Greenaway Medal winner, Harry & Hopper features the lovely charcoal, gouache and watercolor artwork of Freya Blackwood - it was Blackwood's illustrations, as it happens, that drew me to this book, as I have been trying to track down as much of her work as possible, after being immensely impressed by the paintings in The Selkie and the Fisherman - artwork which manages to convey both the joyful movement of its canine and human characters, and the pathos of their parting. It also features a moving story that deftly captures that special bond between boy and dog, and the poignancy of unexpected loss. That said, I do think a little caution is advised, for those thinking of using this book as a form of bibliotherapy. The fact that Hopper comes back for a few ghostly visits might cause some confusion for very young children, or possibly lead to hopes that something similar might occur, in their case. With that caveat in mind, I would still recommend this one as a moving, thoughtful children's story about learning to say goodbye, after the loss of a animal companion.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to a sudden loss of a family member or a beloved pet nothing is much harder to uderstand. The combined talents of Australian author, Margaret Wild and Australian illustrator, Freya Blackwood, accomplish it beautifully in this story.

Will you cry when you read it? Yes but the art of letting go with love gradually conveyed so well in this title will be the warm blanket that comforts you.
My full review at:
http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Michelle Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book of love and loss, but oh, so sad! I'm glad I read it before sharing with my almost four year old - I will save it until he's a bit older, as I'm sitting here with tears dripping off my chin. The illustrations are beautiful and lively, perfectly capturing an excitable dog.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to discuss this book with someone.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sumptuous picture book about the death of a dear pet, about joy in having a pet and figuring out when to finish saying goodbye. I read the review a few weeks ago and wanted to find a copy-lucky that I did at my library, yet I might want a copy of this. Harry’s dog dies in an accident so there is no chance to say goodbye at the end. In the morning Hopper was there and when Harry came home from school, he was not. Through showing the slow stages of grief in dreams that Harry has, and in the illustrations, the book offers hope that someday the feelings will be better. The illustrations are pen and ink sketches with what seems to be colored pencil added. Freya Blackwood shows Hopper fading as the story moves along. It’s a poignant and sensitively told story.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad face :'-(

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry and Hopper is about a close relationship between a boy and his dog. This book gives us the backstory of Harry's relationship with his dog first, then hits us with the sad news:

But one afternoon when Harry came home from school, there was no Hopper waiting by the gate. No glad yelping. No loving lick of the tongue.

Hopper isn't there, it turns out, because he has been killed in an accident. Harry disconnects from the rest of the world, refusing to talk about the loss of his dog, even with his friends at school. At night, though, Hopper comes to him and they are able to play together. Hopper shows up for several nights, but each time he is more faded and less solid. Finally, the time comes for Hopper to disappear altogether, but not before Harry has his chance to say goodbye.

This book is a definite tearjerker. I've never had a dog, so I can't fully relate to the experience of a pet's sudden death, but it was still plenty sad for me, and would probably be more so for a child in this situation. It's not clear from the story whether Harry's encounters with Hopper are dreams or something more fantastical or supernatural, but the emotional impact of their nighttime adventures is the same. Children who have lost a dog and didn't get a chance to say goodbye might find this book cathartic. It also provides a gentle explanation of death - life simply fades out of Hopper, until he's gone. This explanation will probably be just enough for young kids who might not be ready to deal with any further discussion of death.

The illustrations are made up of lots of rough lines and interesting shadowing. I like the details of the house, the yard, and dad's clothing, which is the only evidence we have that he is a fireman. The muted colors contribute to the sad, serious and sacred mood of the book. I loved the portrayal of the dog's movements, and also the fact that details like the clothesline and shed in the backyard reappear in the final image of the book, a zoomed out aerial view of the house, where life has gone on even without Hopper.

Like Bone Dog, this book is also comforting, but much more sad. It also sort of creeped me out. I like dead things to stay dead, even in fiction, but the chance to say goodbye to Hopper will undoubtedly be comforting and important for many kids who read this book.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry got Hopper when he was a jumpy puppy. He taught him to sit, stay and play ball. The two of them were inseparable. Hopper even slept with Harry, moving from the bottom of the bed to the top over the course of the night. But then Harry came home from school and Hopper wasn’t there. His father broke the news of the accident gently to Harry, explaining that Hopper had died. Harry couldn’t sleep in the bed he shared with Hopper, so he started sleeping on the couch instead. At school, Harry couldn’t tell anyone about what had happened. That night, Harry was awoken from sleeping on the couch by a dog leaping by the window. It was Hopper! The two of them spent the night together playing. The same thing happened night after night, but Hopper was getting less solid and less warm. Eventually, Harry had to say goodbye to Hopper.

This book should come with a box of tissues. Sniffle. Wild depicts the bond between boy and dog with a clarity that makes it very tangible and real. The loss comes quickly and without prelude, jarring the reader. As Harry moves through his grief, the return of Hopper brings that process into a similarly tangible state. The slow disappearance of Hopper over the nights, depicts the acceptance of loss. Harry’s grief never comes to full resolution, something that is particularly beautiful about this book and its writing.

This book won the Kate Greenaway medal for its illustrations, and rightly so! Blackwood’s illustrations are done in laser print on watercolor paper with watercolor, gouache and charcoal. They have a charm to them that is emphasized by the use of lines to slow motion. Additionally, the shadows that appear with the grief add to the darker feeling of that section of the book. Through it all, there is a warm light in the darkness, often provided by Harry and Hopper themselves.

A beautiful book of loss and grief, this book deserves a spot in libraries where it is sure to find an audience. Perhaps offer a Kleenex as a bookmark upon check out. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

[Vicki Kier · Rating 5 out of 5]

2010 Kate Greenaway Medal winner for Freya Blackwood's illustrations, Harry & Hopper sensitively broaches childhood loss and grief with dignity and respect. Wild's third-person rendering of young Harry's loss of his best friend and pet Hopper is appropriate for drawing in children who might feel misunderstood or alone in their own loss. The prose is filled with references to touch, scent, and smell. Blackwood's genius is on display throughout the book, including the page on which Harry's dad tells him Hopper has died: She respectfully turns their backs to the reader, as if to say: This moment is personal.

A must-have for any public or school library, as well as a first-choice for any parent looking for a book to share with a young one who has lost a beloved pet. Recommended for 4+.

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy grieves the loss of his pet dog. Would be good read together with an adult. The dream sequence may confuse younger children but it is an interesting approach. Beautiful illustrations support the text.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartbreakingly sad tale of a young boy and his love for his dog. Of course the dog dies, and we watch the young boy, Harry in his grief. Beautiful illustrations as always from Freya Blackwood, who conveys Harrys deep love for and then grief for Hopper very well, rather atmospheric.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this book was about, so tears welling up was a big surprise. It's a nice little story about loss and grief, I just wish I'd known what I was picking up before I began reading it to my kids!

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly wonderful book about the loss of a beloved pet. Hopper visits Harry after the passing - just like Millie visited me after hers. Oh my tears. The story is well written and the pictures lovely.

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if when you buy a child a dog, especially his first dog, if it would help to read him one of the children's bereavement books way before it was needed. I wouldn't want to traumatize a kid to make him fearful every day that he would lose the dog, but to help him appreciate each day we have with a dog maybe to soften the blow when it eventually does come.

Then I wonder how much a bereavement of a pet book would help when the time does come and a child, or a person who has had a pet since childhood, dies. Probably best if not too soon after the passing, but maybe a little while after.

I would be interested in hearing from people who have experience with children and a dog going to the rainbow bridge. Speaking of passing over the rainbow bridge, I like that expression and the story behind it. I think that would help more, and that is not covered in this book. I think what helps most is a new dog, especially a puppy, as a dog drags someone into the now and away from the past, even when the past is a dog that was dearly loved.

The drawings in the book are great. The story is good, but I think the events in the ending will not happen to the average person who has a dog pass over the rainbow bridge. Still a good book to read with a child and then have a discussion.

[Franki Sibberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story about grief, death of a pet.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tearjerker for sure but a comforting story to share with a child who has lost a beloved pet.

[Primavera Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This heart wrenching book was warded the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2010. This book captures a young boy Harry and his dog Hopper. Sadly, Hopper is spontaneously killed in a car accident, leaving Harry alone to deal with the loss of his beloved dog. Harry is so overcome with grief that he starts seeing his dog in his imagination and actually believes his dog is not dead. Sadly, he is faced with the harsh reality that his dog is really dead and these interactions with Hopper are all an imagination in his head. The images in the book make the story that much more heart breaking. The pure emotions of grief, despair, sadness, loss, and false hope are accurately and beautifully depicted within the illustrations of this book. Especially when Hopper is seen as a ghost like figure which Harry does not seem to grasp. To Harry, he is reunited with his best friend until grief truly sets in and lets him know it is all the workings of his imagination. Teachers often times have to be the ones to introduce these hard and upsetting topics and life cycles to children. This books helps children understand loss and how sometimes it can play tricks on the mind, especially when. It comes to the loss of something as important as a pet. This book can help students understand a heart breaking subject and how deeply it can affect those around the dead.

[Fromwordstoworlds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry and Hopper tells the story of a boy’s journey to come to terms with the loss of his beloved dog. Death is something that cannot be predicted and grief is part of the painful process of accepting and dealing with the void. For a child to understand the sudden ending of a friendship and to cope with the overwhelming emotions is a long and complicated process.

Harry had Hopper since he had been a jumpy puppy. They used to do everything together.

"And every evening, Hopper sneaked past Dad to sleep on Harry’s bed. He started at the bottom of the bed, then wriggled to the top, next to Harry.

“Goodnight, Hopper”, said Harry. And they gazed at each other, their eyes gleaming with mischief and delight."

But one day, when returning from school, Harry finds out about Hopper’s sudden death in a car accident and his world collapses in a second. The boy feels numb and nothing makes sense.

See full review on blog:
https://fromwordstoworlds.wordpress.c...

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about a boy whose dog dies and how he processes the loss. It's beautifully told and illustrated and it's a story to share with children who have experienced death as a way to talk about the loss and how they can deal with that. It wouldn't be a book to just pick up and read willy-nilly - *I* would probably get teary if I picked this up unknowingly and read it to a child.

[Betsy Ellor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just try to stop sobbing long enough to write this review. I really loved this book. The story is beautifully written and the illustrations work together to just tear you heart out. BUT I'm not sure I would read it to my son unless he was grieving and needed a story to grieve with. Wow is this emotional. Alright, now I'm going to go back to sobbing into my pillow.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry and his dad welcomed a puppy into their home, and Harry named him Hopper. They became great friends. One day Hopper unexpectedly died, and Harry had a hard time with that, missing him so much. For awhile, at night, it seemed Hopper came to play, and Harry had a chance to say goodbye. This is a sad and wonderful story about losing a pet and dealing with the loss. Lovely illustrations.

[Anna Cokrlic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry & Hopper, by Margaret Wild is an emotionally rich story that shares themes of friendship, love, loyalty, and loss. I like this book because although it is a sweet story, it explores harder ideas like grief and the loss of a pet. I think Harry & Hopper is good because although exploring grief, it shows that you should always look for the positive.

[Kristen McBee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay, but not the message I’d like to convey. I like the varied emotions that Harry experiences, but the ghost dog isn’t what I’m going for.

Also, the dog dies in an accident (not just of old age) if that’s something you’re looking for.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be so hard when a pet dies. I think this book does a great job showing the love that children especially can have for their pets and the sorrow that we feel when a pet dies. This book seems to end abruptly. But other than that it is a good book.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gentle story about a boy who grieves and learns acceptance after his beloved dog dies brought a tear to my eye. With heartfelt illustrations. A lovely book that may be useful to children learning to cope with loss.

[Amber Hughey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another sad "animal dies" book. In this one, a boy's prized pet dies while he's at school. He refuses to talk about it, and instead, 'dreams' about his dog as a form of closure.

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart achingly beautiful story about a little boy who loses his dog. The emotion pours off the page.

[pati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book.