THE ACCIDENT

by Carol Carrick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1976

Children who remember Christopher's dog Bodger from Sleep Out (1973) and Lost in the Storm (1974) will share Christopher's dismay when Bodger is run over by a truck and killed. Boy and dog are out on an evening walk when it happens; Christopher's parents come along and Christopher's sense of unreality gives way to a momentary hope that his father can make things right, then to anger at the driver and at his parents who sympathize with the man. In bed that night Christopher relives the accident, supplying different endings, and the next day there is more moping and anger until Christopher and his father put a special stone on Bodger's grave and the little boy gives in to tears and comfort. It's a sequence of reactions we're meeting frequently of late, but the Carricks' characteristic sincerity and sensitivity make it real and immediate; without forcing the mood, both the level, straightforward text and the quiet, twilit pictures make you feel with Christopher.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Seabury

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1976

Categories: CHILDREN'S