By Sara Varon. Published by Square Fish. Softcover, 224 pages, Colour, 2016 This graphic novel classic is now an Oscar-nominated animated feature!This moving, charming graphic novel about a dog and a robot shows us in poignant detail how powerful and fragile relationships are. After a Labor Day jaunt to the beach leaves the robot rusted, immobilized in the sand, the dog must return alone to the life they shared. But the memory of their friendship lingers, and as the seasons pass, the dog tries to fill the emotional void left by the loss of his closest friend, making and losing a series of friends, from a melting snowman to epicurean anteaters. But for the robot, lying rusting on the beach, the only relief from loneliness is in dreams. A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the YearA PW Best Book of the YearAn ALSC Notable Children’s BookA YALSA Great Graphic Novel“Tender, funny and wise.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review“Invested with true emotion.” —Booklist, starred review“This almost wordless (and dialogue-free) graphic novel is by turns funny and poignant . . . it will stay with readers long after they put it down.” —School Library Journal, starred review“Sophisticatedly understated, with subtle gestural cues and colors in a minor key, yet the blossoming friendship between the dog and the robot is unmistakably joyful.” —Kirkus Reviews"This is one of those rare pieces that truly qualifies as an all-ages graphic novel, with a wordless story (save for the occasional bits of signage, printed ephemera, and free-floating sound effects and exclamations) packed with enough droll events to engage primary-schoolers, and bittersweet observations on the mutable nature of friendships best understood by those who've been around long enough to win some and lose some.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Recommended Book“Emotional experiences are shared without a word in this graphic novel that elicits laughter, tears, and a realization of the complexity of friendships.” —NCTE Notable Book in the Language Arts Review
