Brandon Brown veut un chien

BASIC INFO	LANGUAGE LEVEL	COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES
Book Title Brandon Brown veut un chien Brandon Brown wants a dog Author(s) Carol Gaab Illustrator(s) Robert Matsudaira Other Contributors French adaptation & translation by Diana Noonan This book is adapted from the original version in Spanish, Brandon Brown quiere un perro, which has been translated into multiple languages. Frequently asked question (FAQ): “I am looking for a review of a book in one language, but LLLAB has only reviewed the book in a different language. Are the reviews for books published in multiple languages the same?” Published by Fluency Matters, now part of Wayside Publishing Genre Comedy Publication date 2013 #Ownvoices N/A	From the author/publisher’s website Level 1 & up Novice Low – Novice Mid Total Word Count “This novel is based on fewer than 140 high frequency words in French.” (A note to the reader)	Illustrations YES Glossary YES Guiding Questions NO Context NO Other Teacher’s guide available for separate purchase

IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT		SYNOPSIS
Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities Not mentioned in the text. Languages spoken French Sex and Genders Female Male Ages Child: 6-12 Mid-life Adult: 35-65 Social classes Middle Class	Sexual Orientation Heterosexual Brandon’s parents are a heterosexually married couple. (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes No (dis)abilities or neurotypes mentioned. Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality Not mentioned in the text. Relationship and Family Structures Heteroparental Body Descriptions The characters’ appearance is not mentioned in the text.	From the author/publisher’s website Brandon Brown really wants a dog, but his mother is not quite so sure. A dog is a big responsibility for any age, much less a soon-to-be 9-year-old. Determined to get a dog, Brandon will do almost anything to get one, but will he do everything it takes to keep one…a secret?

ILLUSTRATIONS	STORY	SOCIAL JUSTICE
To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The cover art and illustrations inside the book are cartoon-like depictions of the book’s characters performing the actions described in the text. The illustrations are a comprehension-aiding feature. The characters are all presented as white.	We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. *Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text?* No	This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. *Does this text work toward goals within any of the* four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice? No

LLLAB’s REVIEW
This is a book about an eight year-old boy named Brandon who wants a dog for his birthday while his mother objects. When Brandon and his friend Jake find a lonely puppy in the park, Jake convinces Brandon to take the puppy home. Brandon is nervous but decides to secretly keep the puppy in his room so his mom won’t find out. In the next 48 hours, he discovers that dogs can cause some real problems, just like his mother said. The boys decide to bring the puppy back to the park and on the way there they run into the puppy’s owner who’s very happy that her dog is found. Brandon is both sad and relieved to let the puppy go. A couple of days later, Brandon celebrates his birthday with family and friends. When he opens the last present he sees… a puppy! Brandon thoughtfully tries to convince his mother to allow him to have a dog, although she is clearly against the idea. He presents reasonable arguments to attempt to persuade his mother to allow him to have a puppy for his birthday (pp. 5-9). This shows a child developing self-advocacy and communication skills. Brandon’s friend Jake is with him in the park when he sees the puppy. Jake pressures Brandon into taking the puppy home with him, even though they both are aware that Brandon’s mother doesn’t want a puppy. Brandon is hesitant, but ultimately gives in to Jake’s peer pressure (pp. 15-16). To cover up the puppy’s presence in his room, Brandon begins to make noises and bark like a dog so his family will not investigate (p. 22). When Brandon’s mother enters his room and sees the dog’s poop on the floor, she asks Brandon if he’s sick. Rather than confess, he agrees that he is very sick (p. 40). He goes along with the lies to such an extent that he ends up in the doctor’s office because his mother is so concerned. The teacher may wish to discuss that being truthful is easier than perpetuating lies, and that lies can have effects that go beyond the immediate family environment, such as a doctor whose time is compromised by a child’s lie instead of helping other patients (pp. 41-47). After spending two days with the puppy, Brandon begins to understand that having a dog is a big responsibility; however, what really changes his mind is that his mom thinks that he’s very sick and wants to postpone his birthday party (p. 47). At this point, Brandon no longer wants the puppy; he wants the birthday party. So, he and Jake decide to bring the puppy back to the park and find another boy who’d want to adopt it (p. 53). The dog ultimately belongs to a girl who has been searching for her lost puppy, implicitly challenging Brandon’s stereotypes about which genders would want a dog (p. 57). Brandon’s choice to absolve himself of responsibility and abandon the dog may be an opportunity for learners to explore how different communities in the real world engage with and help abandoned animals. Brandon’s mother is presented as the main caregiver of the family. She makes family meals, checks on Brandon, encourages and comforts him, takes him to the doctor, and sets boundaries. Brandon’s father appears in the text only twice: once at a dinner table and once more at Brandon’s birthday party at the end of the book. This may reinforce stereotypes of gender roles within families. While Brandon is hiding the puppy in his room and pretends to be sick to cover it up, his family goes along completely believing his lies. Brandon does not take responsibility for the puppy or the lies he told, preferring to get rid of the puppy altogether. The book ends with Brandon receiving a puppy as a birthday present, leaving him to feel conflicted between having a puppy with his family’s support and the difficult experience he just had with a puppy he secretly owned for a few days (p. 68). The teacher may wish to discuss how realistic this scenario is, as well as potential consequences in real life that could result from imitating Brandon’s actions.

LLLAB’s REVIEW

This is a book about an eight year-old boy named Brandon who wants a dog for his birthday while his mother objects. When Brandon and his friend Jake find a lonely puppy in the park, Jake convinces Brandon to take the puppy home. Brandon is nervous but decides to secretly keep the puppy in his room so his mom won’t find out. In the next 48 hours, he discovers that dogs can cause some real problems, just like his mother said. The boys decide to bring the puppy back to the park and on the way there they run into the puppy’s owner who’s very happy that her dog is found. Brandon is both sad and relieved to let the puppy go. A couple of days later, Brandon celebrates his birthday with family and friends. When he opens the last present he sees… a puppy!

Brandon thoughtfully tries to convince his mother to allow him to have a dog, although she is clearly against the idea. He presents reasonable arguments to attempt to persuade his mother to allow him to have a puppy for his birthday (pp. 5-9). This shows a child developing self-advocacy and communication skills.

Brandon’s friend Jake is with him in the park when he sees the puppy. Jake pressures Brandon into taking the puppy home with him, even though they both are aware that Brandon’s mother doesn’t want a puppy. Brandon is hesitant, but ultimately gives in to Jake’s peer pressure (pp. 15-16).

To cover up the puppy’s presence in his room, Brandon begins to make noises and bark like a dog so his family will not investigate (p. 22). When Brandon’s mother enters his room and sees the dog’s poop on the floor, she asks Brandon if he’s sick. Rather than confess, he agrees that he is very sick (p. 40). He goes along with the lies to such an extent that he ends up in the doctor’s office because his mother is so concerned. The teacher may wish to discuss that being truthful is easier than perpetuating lies, and that lies can have effects that go beyond the immediate family environment, such as a doctor whose time is compromised by a child’s lie instead of helping other patients (pp. 41-47).

After spending two days with the puppy, Brandon begins to understand that having a dog is a big responsibility; however, what really changes his mind is that his mom thinks that he’s very sick and wants to postpone his birthday party (p. 47). At this point, Brandon no longer wants the puppy; he wants the birthday party. So, he and Jake decide to bring the puppy back to the park and find another boy who’d want to adopt it (p. 53). The dog ultimately belongs to a girl who has been searching for her lost puppy, implicitly challenging Brandon’s stereotypes about which genders would want a dog (p. 57). Brandon’s choice to absolve himself of responsibility and abandon the dog may be an opportunity for learners to explore how different communities in the real world engage with and help abandoned animals.

Brandon’s mother is presented as the main caregiver of the family. She makes family meals, checks on Brandon, encourages and comforts him, takes him to the doctor, and sets boundaries. Brandon’s father appears in the text only twice: once at a dinner table and once more at Brandon’s birthday party at the end of the book. This may reinforce stereotypes of gender roles within families.

While Brandon is hiding the puppy in his room and pretends to be sick to cover it up, his family goes along completely believing his lies. Brandon does not take responsibility for the puppy or the lies he told, preferring to get rid of the puppy altogether. The book ends with Brandon receiving a puppy as a birthday present, leaving him to feel conflicted between having a puppy with his family’s support and the difficult experience he just had with a puppy he secretly owned for a few days (p. 68). The teacher may wish to discuss how realistic this scenario is, as well as potential consequences in real life that could result from imitating Brandon’s actions.

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