Lost and Found: Three Stories

by Jim LaMarche

Anna looked all around her. The sky was getting dark. "I think we should go home now, Molly." But which way was home?In three heartwarming stories, celebrated illustrator Jim LaMarche lovingly depicts tales of being lost, being found, finding home, and, most important, the dogs who help us find our way. One lost dog is rescued, another pup leads a frightened child home, and a fractured family finds a fresh start through the love of a dog. Featuring exquisite artwork, this joyful, touching collection will be cherished by anyone who has ever loved a dog.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Short Stories

42 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2009

About the author

Jim LaMarche is the illustrator of more than twenty books for children, including Dennis Haseley’s A Story for Bear; The Carousel by Liz Rosenberg; The Rainbabies by Laura Krauss Melmed; and Albert by Donna Jo Napoli. He is the author-illustrator of The Raft. Jim LaMarche grew up in Wisconsin and now lives in California.

Reviews

[La Coccinelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is worth looking at for the pictures alone. The stories... well, I didn't enjoy them as much as I thought I might. The last one, in particular, is a bit weak and kind of convenient/unrealistic.

But Jim LaMarche's pictures are so lovely to look at. The stories of the three dogs--Molly, Ginger, and Yuki--are lovingly illustrated. It's easy to see that LaMarche is a dog person.

This would be a great book for dog lovers of all ages.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelously talented author and illustrator Jim LaMarche turns to man's best friend in this picture-book collection of three dog stories. In Molly we see a young girl and her faithful canine companion head into the woods, after the girl is given a time out by her exasperated mother. When the girl can't find her way home again, Molly steps in to help. In Ginger, a boy and his father go for a hike in the woods with the boy's beloved dog, who goes missing and can't be found. Leaving his jacket for Ginger to sleep on, the boy reluctantly leaves, returning the following day to find his best friend waiting for him. In Yuki, a young boy finds a stray dog, and longs to adopt him, only to be told by his unemployed mother that they can't afford a pet. When Yuki's owner comes to reclaim him, she offers a number of things that the boy and his mother have been needing...

I enjoyed both the stories and the artwork in Lost and Found: Three Dog Stories immensely, finding the former heartwarming and the latter gorgeous. Tales of animals being lost and finding their way home are almost guaranteed to find an appreciative audience with me, but LaMarche's three stories here explore how animals help us, as human beings, both to find and to make our homes. The result is a selection of stories that tug at the heartstrings, and leave the reader with a happy, satisfied feeling at the end. The illustrations, done in acrylic washes and colored pencil, are as lovely as one would expect, given LaMarche's track record. Soft-edged but clear, perfectly capturing the emotional register of each scene, and the changing moods of both people and dogs, these paintings are a joy to peruse. Of course, as a fox lover, my favorite scene was the one in which Molly chases away a fox while her girl is sleeping, but all of the pictures were beautiful. Recommended to young dog lovers, to picture-book readers who enjoy animal stories, and to fellow fans of Jim LaMarche.

[Linda Lipko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Artist Jim LaMarche did it again! He wrote and illustrated yet another stunningly beautiful book. Broken into three sections, each tells a compelling tale of the importance of, and the love we feel for our pets.

In the first story, a stubborn little girl is angry at her mother. She vows to run away and takes her dog Molly with her. After walking, walking and walking in the woods, as the light is fading, the little girl realizes she is lost. With no knowledge of where to go, she counts on Molly to lead her home.

The second tale is about a little boy who loves his dog Ginger. When hiking with his father, Ginger runs after an animal. After calling and calling to no avail, they must leave for home and Ginger is sadly left behind. The little boy places his sweater on the ground so that Ginger might feel safe if she wanders back. The next morning, bright and early, the father and son come back to the site and find Ginger.

Lastly, a lonely boy whose mother is struggling financially finds a lost dog. Immediately, the little boy feels better knowing he has company in this troubling time. When Yuki's owner is found, the little boy is heart broken. A lovely ending occurs.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of this illustrator after recently discovering them. My daughter is also dog obsessed hence picking this out to read. The illustrations did not disappoint and the stories were nice. The first is about a girl who runs away but changes her mind and her dog leads the way home. The second about a beloved dog who runs away during an outing but comes back to the child's jacket as it is their regular sleeping spot. The third about a dog who finds someone who needs him and gets a friend in the process.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe I am about to say this because I am a cat lover. I LOVED this book. Three short, heartwarming stories about dogs. The illustrations are soft which make this book a perfect bedtime story book.

I will be searching for more children's books by this author.

[Whitney Inlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute book about a dog and a friend. I liked that there were three different short stories in the book. The second one was my favorite. The book shows that dogs need us just as much as we need them.

[Sarah Limb · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s a cute story. I love dogs, so I felt all warm in my heart reading about how special dogs are. I didn’t find spectacular or super unique. But it still told three very different and lovely stories about dogs. :)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a longer picture book with three stories about three dogs and their human companions. Anyone who likes dogs will relate and enjoy these stories.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the perfect book and dogs are the perfect animal.

[Benoitcesoir · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books to read. The stories are short and beautifully told. The illustrations truly help make the story come to life.

[Sarah Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pictures were beautiful. Storylines were just not developed or meaningful. Not a bad book, but also not really anything special.

[Mavis Koon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely children’s book about three dogs and how they enrich the lives of their humans. The illustrations by Jim LaMarche are great. Adults and children will both enjoy this book.

[Carina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found a spelling mistake...

[Cassandra Ball · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the three small stories which were in bound together to form a book. Each story dealt with a different kind of lost and found situation and I felt as though each child in a classroom would be able to relate to a different story in a different way. If one story didn't apply to a children then maybe one of the other two would. The last story was by far my favorite out of the three of them. It really touched my heart at the love that old woman shared with the little boy and his mother and it made me think of stories like that which have happened in my life. I also think that a child who really connects well with dogs would like this book because they could relate to how the children in these stories felt. The pictures were really pretty and added to the overall enjoyment that I had for the book. There was one thing that I didn't like and that was that at a couple parts the pictures were hard to follow with the words. This happened because some of the pages had more than one picture on it, so when the words were placed on the pages sometimes I would get the pictures out of order. But, other than that I thought that the book and the three stories were really cute and fun to read. Plus they touched the heart.

[Treasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last story in this book almost made me cry. If I hadn't been sitting at the information desk in my library when I read it, I probably would have cried... but it didn't seem quite professional to start crying. This book contains three stories about dogs and the children who love them. The first two stories were not all that wonderful, although they were sweet - perhaps a little too sweet. It was really the last story that made me give this book 4 stars. And the illustrations are lovely, for the most part, especially the dogs. LaMarche's love for dogs is obvious in the way he depicts them. There were a few times when I found myself confused about the order in which I was supposed to read different sections of text - especially in the first story when the dog and girl travel across the two-page spread at the top, but then are doing something else at the bottom. I was able to figure it out, but not without doing it wrong first.

Overall, this is a touching book that children who love dogs would certainly enjoy.

[Sunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m such a sucker for Jim LaMarche. He’s done it again. Three wonderfully illustrated stories which will make perfect bedtime events. This is a grandparents’ delight, not just because Molly, Ginger and Yuki are loveable critters, but because each story is layered with its own special meaning and emotion. On top of all that, you have LaMarche’s illustrations which fairly beg to be “read” as carefully as his text.

I can already imagine reading this to my granddaughter and taking the time to ask her questions about the story, how would she feel, what do the pictures tell us? Jim LaMarche is a treasure. Buy this book, it can be your treasure, too.

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated stories of lost and found dogs. The stories are all very short, so even reading the entire book would not tax the attention span of a very young child. In the first story, Molly the dog helps Anna find her way home. In the second story, Jules, a young African American boy, helps his lost dog, Ginger. But that last story is the one that gets the tears flowing. A little boy finds a dog, but the dog has a collar and name tag and is obviously not his to keep. All stories have illustrations that I wouldn't mind framing and hanging on the wall. Beautiful outdoor scenery - lovingly painted dogs and people.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a dog person...I really did not expect to like this book at all and I was extremely surprised! The entire book is very soft and gentle and tells 3 different stories of love, friendship and compassion. It was a very sweet book to share with my little ones.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stories about pets and young children and the relationship between them. The tales are heartwarming and the illustrations are soft. Our girls enjoyed watching the story on the Tumblebooks website. (www.tumblebooks.com)

[Loren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This picture book is comprised of three heart warming dog stories about being lost and about being found. I like the format (story one, story two etc) a nice introduction to chapter books. The illustrations are soft and inspire warm fuzzies esp if you are a dog person.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are nice short stories for children about dogs. These would be good for beginning readers. I didn't find the stories too detailed so they didn't spark my interest much however these are good starter stories.

[Sunnyvale Librarian]

LaMarche's artwork shines in three short stories about dogs and the children who love them. Each story is simply told in picture book format, depicting adventure, dramatic tension and the enduring bond between child and dog.

[Eloise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet book that's sure to appeal to dog-lovers.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim LaMarche's illustrations are gentle and exquisite. These three tales have a potential for sorrow but all end happily. A treat for all dog lovers.

[Jane]

A good pick for dog-lovers, greatly enhanced by beautiful drawings of the starring dogs.

[jimtown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three short and sweet dog stories for early readers. I chose this because I was interested in his "The Raft" book and wanted to see the other work of this artist/author who grew up in Wisconsin.

[Malissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has the same beauty in words and pictures as The Raft.

[Christine D · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great illustrations of dogs. Three short stories about dogs and the people who love them.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, Love, Love the pictures!! The three stories about three different dogs was fun. Just a fun, sweet book! A must read for do lovers !