Norman, Speak!
- Publisher
- Groundwood Books Ltd
- Initial publish date
- Apr 2014
- Category
- Dogs, Adoption, Pets
- Recommended Age
- 4 to 7
- Recommended Grade
- k to 2
- Recommended Reading age
- 4 to 7
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781554983223
- Publish Date
- Apr 2014
- List Price
- $17.95
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781554983230
- Publish Date
- Apr 2014
- List Price
- $14.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Norman, Speak! tells the comical yet thought-provoking story of a boy and his family who adopt a dog that just can’t seem to learn the things other dogs do.
Overwhelmed by dogs in need at their local animal shelter, a young boy chooses Norman, the stray that’s been there the longest. But, upon bringing him home, the family quickly learns that Norman won’t respond to commands. He doesn’t even know his own name.
During a chance encounter with another dog owner in the park, the family is very surprised to learn the reason for Norman’s confusion; he “speaks” Chinese instead of English! And so the family enrolls in a language class, determined to understand their uniquely loveable pet.
The humorous text, from award-winning author Caroline Adderson, and Qin Leng’s delightful illustrations combine to create a picture book that will be enjoyed by readers (and dogs) no matter what language they speak.
About the authors
Caroline Adderson is the author of Very Serious Children (Scholastic 2007), a novel for middle readers about two brothers, the sons of clowns, who run away from the circus. I, Bruno (Orca 2007) and Bruno for Real are collections of stories for emergent readers featuring seven year-old Bruno and his true life adventures.
Caroline Adderson also writes for adults and has won two Ethel Wilson Fiction Prizes, three CBC Literary Awards, as well as the 2006 Marion Engel Award given annually to an outstanding female writer in mid-career. Her numerous nominations include the Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist, the Governor General's Literary Award, the Rogers' Trust Fiction Prize and the Commonwealth Writers' Prize. Most recently, Caroline was the Vancouver Public Library's 2008 Writer-in-Residence.
Her eight year-old son Patrick and his many friends inspire her children's writing. Caroline and her family live in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Caroline Adderson's profile page
Qin Leng was born in Shanghai, China. At the age of five, she moved with her family to Bordeaux, France, where she spent the next four years. Soon after, she moved to Montreal, where she spent the rest of her childhood. Having been born in Asia but raised in the West, she uses both cultures as her source of inspiration. Looking at her illustrations, one can see the presence of both East and West.Qin Leng comes from a family of artists, where the visual senses have always been of the utmost importance. She grew up watching her father work with acrylics, pastel, and ink. Father and daughter often spent their days drawing side by side. Drawing first started as a hobby, but soon became a way of expression.Despite her many years of study to become a biologist, Qin decided at the age of 20 to follow the same path as her father and enrolled in the School of Cinema to study Film Animation at Concordia University. She has produced animated shorts, which were nominated in various nationa
Awards
- Short-listed, Chocolate Lily Book Award (Picture Book)
- Commended, OLA Best Bets (Picture Books)
- Commended, USBBY Outstanding International Book
- Short-listed, Christie Harris Illustrated Children’s Literature Prize
Editorial Reviews
This is a delightful and whimsically illustrated book. Recommended.
Library Media Connections
Caroline Adderson and Qin Leng’s Norman, Speak! is a timeless story about a boy and his dog with a twist appropriate to today’s audience.
CM Magazine
Pet lovers will appreciate this family’s lighthearted journey toward making this relationship succeed.
Kirkus Reviews
Throughout this lovely story, it is clear that the boy and his parents love Norman just as he is. Simple ink drawings set against ample white space make the endearing dog come alive on paper. This title will be a surefire hit with children.
School Library Journal
There are lessons here—about patience as well as intercultural understanding—but they’re very lightly worn, and the casual line of the ink-and-color illustrations reminds us that this is a warm family story most of all.
Horn Book
This is a fresh and original take on the new-pet story that provides a gentle little paradigm shift along with its slight absurdity; the family’s genial embrace of their new dog’s language is both humorous . . . and offhandedly heartwarming.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, STARRED REVIEW
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