Saying Goodbye to Lulu

A young girl and her lovable dog, Lulu, are the best of friends. They play games together, explore their neighborhood, and even cuddle up to read bedtime stories each night. Lulu is the best dog a girl could ever hope for, but when she grows older and gradually becomes weak, the little girl must face the sad possibility of losing her dear friend, and inevitably, cope with the death of her canine companion. Though she is deeply saddened by Lulu's passing and misses her very much, over time the little girl discovers that the sweet memory of her beloved Lulu will live on forever... in her heart.

Starred Review, Booklist            Booklist Editors' Choice 2004

2007 Cub Kid's Choice Award, Central Elementary, Nevada, Iowa

Awarded a 2005 Best Book Award Gold Seal from the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio,
"the only independent guide to children's media."

Recommended by Canine Candor

Featured in "Grieving Over a Beloved Pet", Lakewood Bubblelife

"This gentle book is a truthful and tender exploration of a child's experience...eloquently acknowledging both the pain of loss and the possibility of consolation."

--Judith Viorst
Author of The Tenth Good Thing About Barney
and the Alexander Books

Reviews

Lulu is a black-and-white, elderly dog who is adored by the unnamed narrator of this gracefully told story of love and loss. The little girl who tells the story knows that Lulu is old and unwell; even though she helps care for Lulu and sees the dog's decline, she doesn't want to face what is coming. The dog's death and the child's anger, sadness, and eventual acceptance are handled sensitively and in terms appropriate for children just learning about death, always underscored with gentle, realistic support from the girl's quietly understanding parents. The story concludes several months later with the little girl picking out a new puppy and realizing that she can start to love another dog. Hoyt's perceptive illustrations in watercolor with colored pencil and ink help create convincing personalities for both Lulu and the little girl and add a timeless, cozy quality that contributes to the story's reassuring tone.

-- Kirkus Reviews

A girl cares tenderly for her old dog Lulu, whose vision, hearing, and general health are declining. Though she wishes that they could play together as they used to, she knows that her dog will not get well. Lulu dies and is buried in the back yard, but it takes some months before the girl can say goodbye. As the story ends, she meets her new puppy and find that her heart has room for Lulu and her new dog too. This first person narrative relates events and expresses the girl's feelings in a matter-on-fact, yet affecting way. When Lulu dies, the narrator is torn between longing and fear: "I wanted to say goodbye, but I was afraid, too." Demas uses sensory details to bring the story to life: the child doesn't just miss Lulu, she misses the thump of her tail and the softness of her fur. Hoyt's expressive illustrations, ink and colored pencil drawings washed with watercolors, reflect the tone of the text and show the child's sadness without sentimentality. In one particularly effective spread, the girls sits alone on her school bus, isolated in her stillness from the other children. A sensitive, positive portrayal.

--Booklist (Starred Review)

Demas uses an abundance of sensory details to deepen this honest, heartfelt story of a child’s adjustment to the death of a beloved pet, and Hoyt’s expressive art affectingly reflects the poignancy of the text, capturing the child’s sadness without sentimentality.

--Booklist Editors' Choice 2004

Lulu, a black-and-white mutt, is adored by her freckle-faced owner, a girl whose parents gently guide her through the various stages of caring for an aging and then very sick dog. When the inevitable happens, memories of the past and hope for the future bring a bittersweet conclusion to this straightforward and affecting story. The emotions of the nameless narrator are clearly and simply shown. She describes how, when Lulu became blind and deaf, she "-fed her from my hand and held her water bowl so she could drink." The pictures, too, excel in tenderness without sentimentality. The realistic-looking cartoons, done with watercolor, colored pencil, and pen and ink, strongly convey the personalities of both girl and dog as they share good times and difficult moments.

-- School Library Journal

Heart-rending...readers will surely be affected by the author's spare, sad description of Lulu's death and burial, the girl's grieving -- and her expected change of heart about acquiring another pet. Rendered in watercolor, colored pencil and pen-and-ink and featuring a pastel-dominated palette, Hoyt's lively, homespun art nimbly conveys the range of emotions that run through this comforting story.

--Publishers Weekly

How do you honor a loved one and still move on with your life? Saying Goodbye to Lulu is one of the best books we’ve read on pet loss for children. The young narrator moves through various stages of grief, and experiences emotions that anyone who has lost a pet, no matter how old or young, can relate to. It’s sweet without being sentimental, and presents the truth without losing any tenderness. Ard Hoyt’s illustrations are perfect.

-- ASPCA Store

This precious book is simply written and helps children through the grieving process while keeping memories in their hearts, and still moving forward.

--Klemmerer Gazette (Klemmerer, Wyoming)

This sweet, not overly sentimental picture book explores a little girl's feelings when her dog Lulu gets very old and then dies. It recognizes the child's pain and anger, but also shows readers that the possibility of happiness is also there-whether in the form of a new puppy or a cherry tree dedicated to Lulu's life. A perfect book to read to a child who's experienced a loss. Demas' tale is gentle and kind and positive and Hoyt's drawings convey a gamut of emotions.

--Lodi News-Sentinel (Lodi, California)

Demas has written a touching story of a young girl and her dog. She writes tenderly of fond memories, the painful present, and the scary future. Hoy's illustrations, done in a realistic cartoon style, convey a wide range of feelings. The girl's main emotional crutch is to keep saying "but I already knew that." Over and over she learns the difference between knowing something and experiencing it. When the proper remembrance of Lulu is completed and she is able to welcome a new puppy, she tells him she loves him, too, But, of course, "he already knows that."

--Wichita Eagle (Wichita, Kansas)

Saying Goodbye to LuLu is a touching look at loss, grief and going on. It is a tenderly written account from a child's perspective, making it an excellent vehicle for helping children understand grief.

--WomanLinks.com

Pets give us so much joy that their deaths are devastating. Children who have lost a beloved animal--whether recently or 30 years ago-- will appreciate Saying Goodbye to Lulu . . . It's a fine collaboration, a book that will fill a need.

--St. Louis Post-Dispatch

This beautiful story is one that will touch the hearts of all who have loved, regardless of age. We all have had our Lulus and shed tears at that final goodbye.

-- Tampa Tribune

An accessible story about Lulu, a black-and-white mutt, and the little girl who loves her, this book follows a family as they care for an aging and then very sick dog. When Lulu eventually passes, the family reminisces about their memories with Lulu, and validates the little girl's feelings of grief and loss. Since most kids' books have a boy as the central character, this is an especially great kids' book for anyone with daughters dealing with losing a pet.

-- Care.com

Behind the Scenes

Checking over the page proofs at Little, Brown's office in New York, April 24, 2003. I'm sitting at the conference table between my editor, Mary Gruetzke (left) and the book's designer, Saho Fujii.

 

Excerpt

When my dog Lulu got really old
she couldn't climb the stairs anymore.
She'd wait for me at the bottom
and her tail would go thump, thump.
Sometimes she didn't hear me calling her,
and when we went on walks she stayed close beside me because she couldn't see well.

 

How to Get this Book

1. Ask for it at your local library. If they don't have it, they may be able to get it for you from another library.

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3. To order signed/personalized copies of my book, please contact
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art Bookshop
(413) 559-6333

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