My Never Ending List

This book should be first read with a child as the concept is a deep one if they are to truly understand what is really going on.  The old woman only names things that she knew she could never outlive. The fear of attachment seems to be something she avoids as she gets older and things didn't last and people pasted away.  She has attached names to her car, her house, her bed and her chair as these four items are the only things she believes will outlive her, so she takes great pleasure in naming them.  One day a puppy shows up at her house and of course, she feeds the cute little brown dog. She makes excuses using the items that she has named as reasons why she cannot keep the puppy and tells the puppy to leave.   The next day the puppy shows up again.  She tells the puppy to leave but the puppy reluctantly doesn't, so she feeds it and after telling it to leave again, it does. This continues for many days/months and the woman is worried that she will outlive the puppy and that deeply concerns her.  The day finally comes when the puppy doesn't trot up to the old woman's house. The old woman is sad.  The next day the puppy doesn't come again. The old woman has to decide if she is willing to change her ways or continue living as she always has only naming things that will always outlive her. 

The pictures in this book are soft and are a great addition to the story.  The old woman's hair, in her twisted hurricane style and her cowboy boots make her a lovable character.  The premise of the book is important for kids to understand as it is not meant to be a sad book but one with hope and change.  As young children read this book, the idea of only naming things that she knew she could never outlive might be confusing for some children and for some children they might not even consider what the author is trying to address so to truly understand the author's intention, I advise reading the book with a child the first time.