Fred Stays With Me

Coffelt, Nancy. 2007. Fred Stays With Me. Illustrated by Tricia Tusa.

Fred Stays With Me is the story of a girl and her best friend, Fred. Fred, in case you haven't noticed, is a dog. A rather playful and sometimes troublesome dog. But in all cases a loveable one. The girl, I'm not sure if she's ever named, has parents who are divorced. Sometimes she lives with her mom; sometimes she lives with her dad. The book shows that even though she's bounced back and forth from one loving home to the other--one is never viewed as "better" than the other--one thing is constant. Fred. Fred goes with her everywhere. He is hers and hers alone. While some things change, Fred never does.

When my mom and I have pizza,
or when my dad and I eat peanut butter sandwiches,
Fred waits for crumbs.

At my mom's, Fred barks at the poodle next door.
At my dad's, Fred steals socks.
But Fred always has time to play.

The text is simple. The illustrations are great. Tricia Tusa has done an excellent job there. Overall, Fred Stays With Me is an enjoyable picture book. It really captures what love and affection there is between owners and pets.