Fleabag

by Helen Stephens

A boy without a dog and a dog without a boy meet each other in the park. But the boy’s big people don’t approve of the friendship. The dog is dirty! And he has FLEAS! Will these two friends be able to find a home together? Helen Stephens's timeless, kid-friendly art makes this heartwarming story a winner for anyone who's ever loved a dog.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Helen Stephens is the illustrator of a number of books for children. She is best known for her How to Hide a Lion series, which was adapted for the stage by the Polka Theatre. She has illustrated stories for some of her favorite authors, including Roger McGough, Michael Morpurgo, Sophie Hannah, Holly Webb, and Cecile Aubry. Helen Stephens lives on the windy coast of Northumberland, England, with her family.

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

An adorable little bedtime story about a homeless dog and the boy he chooses. Read by Tom Hardy and Woody on CBeebies.... it doesn’t get any better than that!

[Felix Gomez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you, Tom Hardy.

[Maryam Sabbar-Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a heart warming book with a perfect ending.

[Lauren Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has some fun and energetic illustrations which are simple but effective. The sentences are a little longer, but use simple wording. The book is about a homeless dog called “fleabag” who tries to find a friend he can play with and he soon meets Bob, a boy he met at a park. They became the best of friends, until Bob had to move home and that was when fleabag followed Bob home and stopped him from running away. The family eventually keep “fleabag” as a pet and clean and look after him.

[Courtney Bursnell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for children to practice learning inferences as it doesn’t explicitly label everything in the book. It makes the children rely on the illustrations and their own understanding in order to comprehend the story.

It also focuses on an important moral lesson to not judge a ‘book by its cover’. But it was a lovely moment when he found his home, which I think children would enjoy.

[Donna Maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleabag is a lovely little story about a dog and his boy. The images really suit the book and it is just the right length to keep little ones entertained. My little girl went to sleep straight after it had finished so it was an ideal bedtime story - 5 stars from us and definitely one we will be getting out again and again!

[Asho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, L has checked out SO MANY dog and puppy books over the past six months that they are beginning to blur together for me. I did think the illustrations in this one were cute, but the story itself was a pretty predictable "boy meets dog, dog finds home" story. L enjoyed it though, of course. She had a lot of questions about fleas!

[Brittany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Such a sad book all-around. And what a terrible name for a little pup. Not the best story, cute illustrations.

[Jenna Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awwwww lovely

[Jane Scholey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about a lonely boy who finds a special friend - or is it about a lonely dog that finds a special friend?

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read by Tom Hardy

[Maki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleabag makes a new friend who is moving. A story of friendship.

[Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Y'all know I love a doggie story

[FloraTzu · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute story that turns something sad and negative into something sweet. Fleabag was a stray with fleas that was always shooed away. With the help of a lonely little boy, he became a loved companion who protected his master.

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleabag was a cute story with a nice, touching end to it! At first while reading the book I honestly begin to lose hope in the moral of the story and what the poor dogs life is going to be like but after flipping through the pages a dim light of hope begins to emerge! This book talks about how this little dog that has no home nor any family enjoys going to the park to watch other dogs enjoying their lives and playing with their owners and kids. He wants his own person too, but everyone who sees him tells him he is just a dirty fleabag. When he makes friends with a boy one day, his whole life changes. After several days together, the little boy goes to the park to tell the dog that he has to move and will no longer be able to see him. The night before they were moving, the boy looked out his window and saw Fleabag waiting there. Therefore, he decided the solution was for them to run away together. Nevertheless, Fleabag knew that something was wrong. He refused to go and even woke up the family to the danger. Since the little boy saved the family from losing their son, they discover that they are going to need to keep this dirty, smelly dog. So the mother decides to give the dog a bath, the dad de-flied the dog and Bobby got him all muddy again. Through some sadness, fear, and rejection, they end up together in an amazing animal rescue story that has a huge heart. Lastly, the family needs to decide on a name for the dog! Mom thinks “scruff,” dad thinks “spike” and baby thinks it should be named “gag-ga”. I enjoyed reading this book, loved the illustrations and thought that this book would be a great friendship and how to treat animals respectfully lesson for kindergartners to first graders or so. Recommend anyone to read this!!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fleabag was a city dog with no name and no home. He liked to visit the park and see the other dogs with their families. How he wished he had a person too. Everyone ignored him until one little boy threw a ball and Fleabag caught it. The little boy and the dog became friends, playing together when his mother wasn’t watching because she was busy with his little sibling. Then the little boy found out that he was moving away, leaving Fleabag behind. The night before they were moving, the boy looked out his window and saw Fleabag waiting there. So he decided the solution was for them to run away together. But Fleabag knew that something was wrong. He refused to go and even woke up the family to the danger. Now what is a family to do with a dirty dog that saved their little boy? You know exactly what!

Stephens has written a book with a very classic feel to it right down to the illustrations. Her text uses subtle repetition to build moods and connections. It reads aloud effortlessly thanks to the repetition and the clear flow of the story line. One piece I appreciated was that the boy and the dog build their friendship up over the course of time. It is a testament to the strength of their connection that it did not happen immediately. Stephens’ illustrations are filled with soft washes of color. They have a vintage feel with modern lines and use color to great effect. She also plays with white space very effectively, using it to isolate but also to be expansive.

A dog-gone good book, this is one friendly pooch that will have young readers cheering him all the way home. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fleabag is a delightful story about a dog who is living a sad life because he has no home and no name. The story talks about how he goes to the park and sees a little boy playing. The little boy is playing alone so the dog decides he will go say hi. The little boy and the dog get along great and become very close friends. After that, the boy and the dog would play often but the parent of the boy was not impressed by this ugly dog who was covered in fleas. One day, the little boy comes to the park feeling sad. Shorty after, Fleabag finds out that his boy is moving. He is very sad. The little boy says his goodbyes, but Fleabag follows him home. Fleabag patiently sits outside his home and watches as all their families things get put into a moving truck. That night, the boy decided to sneak out of the house, but the puppy would not budge because he knew his boy was not supposed to be out that late. He starts to bark and the parents think that he saved the boy, so they keep him. They get him all cleaned up and even remove his fleas. But when they went to give him a name, all they could think of was his cute nickname Fleabag!! Such a cute book! It also have very well done illustrations. I recommend this book to first grade and then you could talk with them about what are fleas and even have a short discussion about pets.

[Regina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poor “Fleabag”: a dog with no home and no real name besides this awful moniker given to him by the people in town. The pup of course is longing for an owner to love him and clean him up! One day, a lonely boy named Bob finds company in Fleabag, and vice versa. Soon they become inseparable friends! But when Bob finds out his family is moving away, he tries instead to run away with his furry friend and one night creeps out of bed and outside in the dark to make his getaway. Fleabag knows Bob should not be outside in the dark night without his mom & dad, so he does the right thing and barks to alert them. Bob’s mom and dad are very grateful, but are they thankful enough to Fleabag to take him in as the family dog before they move away?

This is a heartwarming story filled with beautiful, colorful, watercolor with ink illustrations by author/illustrator Helen Stephens. This story line is sure to tug at your heartstrings, particularly if you are the owner (or future owner) of a rescue animal. If you love a great story about dogs, and could use a happy ending (although I do wish the family would have changed his mean nickname to anything but!), be sure to pick up a copy of this great book about the love between a boy and dog. Read more at www.diapers-and-daydreams.com !

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

1 sentence description
There is a poor little doggy that nobody wants because he has raggedy fur and lots of fleas, until one day he meets a boy who brings him home and cleans him up, his name, Fleabag, sticks though.

curriculum connection
Friendship, animals.

personal reaction
I really liked this story. We all enjoy when the ugly duckling wins, but more then that, we get a heartwarming story of a boy who was willing to look past the appearance and found a great friend in Fleabag.

assessment of visual appeal
I really liked the illustrations. They are very childlike, but offer a warm familiar depiction with soft oils not quite covering inside spaces entirely.

intended audience
young children.

genre:
childrens. controlled vocabulary (a lot of "B" words)

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who can help but love little Fleabag? A book about a dog finding a boy, a boy finding a dog, a family finding a friend...all before they move to a new hosue. Author's note ans sketches at the end give fun background info. about the creation of the book.

Truthfully, the writing probably earns this book only 3 stars, but I love the character and the illustrations.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book to my daughter. I picked it up in the library and brought it home to read to her and how glad I am that I did. It is written so beautifully with empathy for the little dog and I wanted to just pick him up and bring him home.
I would recommend this book thoroughly it was a lovely, sweet, natural story.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when I thought I was going to give up on this, it took a surprising turn. A little boy decides to run away with fleabag, but the dog knew better and alerted his grown-ups in the middle of the night by barking. This is too long for storytime, but dog lovers will like it.

[Taylor Troncin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was read for Wesley’s summer reading club. Wesley is my (soon to be five year old) son. This review is what we used for his reading club.
***

This was an adorable book! Wesley and I enjoyed it a great deal!
***

I highly recommend this book to every dog lover!

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet story with charming illustrations. As a bonus, the sketches of the original "Fleabag" are included in the end of the book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even fleabags need a good home.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

A dog just wants a home. I'm glad he found it.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Predictable outcome but a sweet and charming story.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best picture books about a lonely dog that I have ever read. Animal lovers, this is an order: Go read it now!

[Megmerrilies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story about a scruffy dog that longs for a home and a family, and a boy who longs for a canine companion. They find each other in spite of his parents’ objections. Very charming.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit to having a soft spot for anything related to dogs. However, I loved how the little boy in this story sees a friend in the unwanted stray dog. This story made me smile a lot.