This is a good book to help children learn to welcome new members of a family or new friendships in life. The children I read this book to were glued to the pages through feeling sympathy for Spot and in the end they were happy to learn he was able to overcome and be a good "sport." When Henry gets a new dog for his birthday, his duck, Spot, feels forgotten and sad. Spot writes a goodbye letter, packs a bag, and leaves on a tough and sad journey to go back to his old home where he hopes he will feel more appreciated. Spot gets in a rough situation and Henry comes to the rescue with his new dog after learning that Spot left. After being rescued and helping to save the new dog, Spot realizes that he is appreciated and loved by Henry. He learns that he can make room for a new pet dog. The only drawback of this book is that it should have maybe had more eye-catching illustrations for a younger audience. ( )

friendship; perfect read aloud ( )

This is a book about friends ... new and old. From the moment Spot answered Henry's ad in the newspaper, the two have been inseparable. But then on Henry's birthday, he gets a dog--the pet he's always wanted! Feeling left out, Spot leaves for his old home, and gets caught in a terrible storm. Henry is devastated when he finds Spot missing and is quickly hot on his trail. With the help of his new dog, Henry saves him and Spot finds out that even with a new pet in his life, Henry would never let his best friend go.

A perfectly charming friendship story. ( )

The duck named spot gets Henry a fishing pole for his birthday, but then he gets a DOG, and seems to forget all about Henry, who runs away. ( )