Sunshine
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- Create Date：2021-06-04 09:51:07
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Marion Dane Bauer
- ISBN：1536214116
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Summary
Set in the northern Minnesota wilderness， a timeless novel about a boy and his imaginary dog explores the legacy of guilt and blame--and what really constitutes a family。
Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer evokes the "summer that changed everything" in the life of a boy growing up without a mother。 Since as far back as Ben can remember， it's been him， his devoted dad， and Sunshine--Ben's little dog， who rarely leaves Ben's side。 It was Mom who did the leaving， and Ben's about to spend a whole week with his suddenly present mother in the wilds of northern Minnesota。 On the remote island she calls home， Ben will learn to camp， canoe， weather the elements， and weigh a burning question: when will she come back to where she belongs？ A must-read for dog lovers， children of divorce， and the imaginative and outdoorsy， Sunshine is a poignant， ultimately hopeful story about self-discovery， facing big realities， and finally， forgiving the things--and people--you can't forget。
Newbery Honoree Marion Dane Bauer evokes the "summer that changed everything" in the life of a boy growing up without a mother。 Since as far back as Ben can remember， it's been him， his devoted dad， and Sunshine--Ben's little dog， who rarely leaves Ben's side。 It was Mom who did the leaving， and Ben's about to spend a whole week with his suddenly present mother in the wilds of northern Minnesota。 On the remote island she calls home， Ben will learn to camp， canoe， weather the elements， and weigh a burning question: when will she come back to where she belongs？ A must-read for dog lovers， children of divorce， and the imaginative and outdoorsy， Sunshine is a poignant， ultimately hopeful story about self-discovery， facing big realities， and finally， forgiving the things--and people--you can't forget。
Reviews
Celia McMahon
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I'd like to thank Candlewick for the arc of Sunshine！ Honestly， I don't remember if I won it because it just showed up in the mail one day。 Regardless of where it came from， This wonderful little read ignited my heart and evoked some long-buried feelings about what it's like being a child and being abandoned by a parent。 In this book， Ben's mother left when he was only three-years-old， to live in the woods。 He never understood why and he tends those feelings by imagining he has a dog named Sunsh I'd like to thank Candlewick for the arc of Sunshine！ Honestly， I don't remember if I won it because it just showed up in the mail one day。 Regardless of where it came from， This wonderful little read ignited my heart and evoked some long-buried feelings about what it's like being a child and being abandoned by a parent。 In this book， Ben's mother left when he was only three-years-old， to live in the woods。 He never understood why and he tends those feelings by imagining he has a dog named Sunshine。 Sunshine gets him through the tough spots in his life; she's a constant when all the things around seem to be coming and going。 One summer， his mother invites him to stay with her for a week。Marion Dane Bauer invokes some fierce emotions with this book。 She tackles some heavy-hitting subjects that nearly broke my heart。 Underneath all the fears and the hurt lies a family that has been broken-a family determined to break the cycle of abuse even if it means having to stay away from each other。 It's sad and hopeful。 This beautiful story will stay with me for a long time to come。 。。。more
Linda
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This one summer， Ben finally talked his dad into asking his mother if he could visit his mom who lives in a primitive cabin deep in the woods。 His mother left him when he was three and he seems to be about ten now。 The story didn't tell how old he was。 He， his father， and this little dog Sunshine have led a loving life， except sometimes Ben has all these "what-ifs？"， and I wondered why until I learned about his mother leaving。 Marion Dane Bauer lets Ben tells this story， much of it showing deep This one summer， Ben finally talked his dad into asking his mother if he could visit his mom who lives in a primitive cabin deep in the woods。 His mother left him when he was three and he seems to be about ten now。 The story didn't tell how old he was。 He， his father， and this little dog Sunshine have led a loving life， except sometimes Ben has all these "what-ifs？"， and I wondered why until I learned about his mother leaving。 Marion Dane Bauer lets Ben tells this story， much of it showing deep feelings， anxiety about many things， yet a determination to do the right thing。 Sunshine is his imaginary dog and there is pressure from his dad to give him up。 This time （the first he's seen his mother since she left） he wants to show his mother what a good person he is so she will want to return to live with him and his dad again。 The emotional ups and downs in this brief， poignant book made me a little teary。 It's not only for those who have had upheavals in their family， who may find comfort that others do， too but for everyone to try to learn and understand。 It is a beautiful story。 Thanks to Candlewick Press for this advanced copy。 。。。more
Richie Partington
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Richie’s Picks: SUNSHINE by Marion Dane Bauer， Candlewick， May 2021， 208p。， ISBN: 978-1-5362-1411-6“I’m not crazy， I’m just a little unwellI know， right now you can’t tellBut stay awhile and maybe then you’ll seeA different side of me”-- Matchbox Twenty （2002）“He props on one elbow to check for Sunshine。 It’s the first thing he does every morning， look to see where she is。 He knows she’s not real。 Of course。 She just lives in his mind。 But still， when he looks he can always find her。And there sh Richie’s Picks: SUNSHINE by Marion Dane Bauer， Candlewick， May 2021， 208p。， ISBN: 978-1-5362-1411-6“I’m not crazy， I’m just a little unwellI know， right now you can’t tellBut stay awhile and maybe then you’ll seeA different side of me”-- Matchbox Twenty （2002）“He props on one elbow to check for Sunshine。 It’s the first thing he does every morning， look to see where she is。 He knows she’s not real。 Of course。 She just lives in his mind。 But still， when he looks he can always find her。And there she is。 Curled on a corner of the sleeping bag below his feet。Ben pats the floor to call her closer。 She opens one eye， considers his invitation， then lets her eye drift closed again。Ben flops back down， astonished。 His dog never disobeys him。 Never！But then， as if to let him know she was only teasing， Sunshine rises， pads toward him， and lies down again with a small grunt， half on， half off his pillow。 She gives his ear a good-morning lick。He sighs and turns toward her until her reddish-gold fur fills his whole vision。 There’s never been a moment when he couldn’t count on her。”Ever since he was three， and his mother left him and his father， Ben has counted on his imaginary dog， Sunshine。 His father was happy to play along back then。 But now Dad thinks Ben should have since outgrown the invisible dog routine。SUNSHINE begins with Ben preparing to go stay with his mother for the first time since she left。 She lives on her family’s ancestral island， on a lake in the middle of the northern Minnesota wilderness。 No electricity。 No wifi。 An outhouse and an outside water hand pump。 Mom arrives in a canoe to collect him for their week together。“He closes his hand around a floppy ear。 He can’t count the number of times he’s held an ear， warm and furry in his hand。 When he was little， he used to hold it all night long while he slept。It’s what drives his dad crazy， the way he ‘touches’ Sunshine。 He says it’s taking imaginings too far。”It turns out that Ben’s mother sees Sunshine positively， telling Ben that Sunshine is a guardian spirit， a companion， a daemon。 So begins the event-filled week of mutual discovery shared by a boy and his long-lost mother。 The mother to whom， Ben hopes， he can sufficiently endear himself so she will magically come back home to live with him and Dad。SUNSHINE is intense and thrilling。 I’ll keep it short， so as not to give away too much。 Why Ben’s mother left her husband and small child to go live alone on the island is a mystery to be resolved。 I sat and read through to the last page， eager to find out how mother and child will react to each other， and wanting to understand what happened that tore the family apart。 The psychological aspects of the story make this a better fit for upper elementary than for younger readers but this is one captivating read and a possible springboard for important discussions。Richie Partington， MLISRichie's Picks http://richiespicks。pbworks。comhttps://www。facebook。com/richiespicks/https://twitter。com/richiespicks richiepartington@gmail。com 。。。more
Barbara
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This one is a 3。5 for me， and as always， I finished it full of admiration for the author's deft touch with character development and the subtle way she reveals the story's secrets。 Ben has only vague memories of the mother who abandoned him when he was three--just flashes of moments and scenes that don't reveal the whole picture。 This summer he's arranged to stay with her for one week in her cabin on a remote island in Minnesota。 His plan is for the two of them to reconnect， and then he'll persu This one is a 3。5 for me， and as always， I finished it full of admiration for the author's deft touch with character development and the subtle way she reveals the story's secrets。 Ben has only vague memories of the mother who abandoned him when he was three--just flashes of moments and scenes that don't reveal the whole picture。 This summer he's arranged to stay with her for one week in her cabin on a remote island in Minnesota。 His plan is for the two of them to reconnect， and then he'll persuade her to return to the bosom of her loving family。 After all， he knows his father still loves her despite her absence。 But once he arrives in the North Woods， far from St。 Paul where he and his father lives， he's shocked at her spartan living conditions。 She has no electricity， no running water， and uses an outhouse。 Slowly， the two of them get to know little things about one another， and Ben even shares his imaginary dog， Sunshine， with his mother。 Sunshine has always provided him comfort， something his mother understands， as she calls the dog a daemon， a constant companion。 Ben's mother shares her love for the woods and its animal inhabitants with her son， but she pretty much leaves him to his own devices。 When he decides to take her canoe out on the lake while she's writing， he becomes disoriented while trying to return to her island， setting off a series of events that lead to a conflagration but also eventually present an opening for truth-telling。 Each scene is written so well， effectively capturing the desperate yearning of a boy for his mother but also her own inability to give him what he wants。 If nothing else， this book reminds readers of the long-term effects of abuse and its cyclical nature。 The author excels in her delicate but honest handling of a tough topic as well as in her descriptions of the island and its surroundings。 。。。more
Ms。 Yingling
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E ARC provided by Edelweiss PlusSimilar to works by Patricia McLaughlin。 Interesting （I liked the backwoods setting）， but a little young for my students。
Katie Fitzgerald
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ben has been living with his single dad and an imaginary dog named Sunshine ever since his mom left the family when Ben was very young。 This summer， though， Ben has been invited to visit his mom on the secluded island where she lives， and he is determined to get some answers。 He also believes that if he is appealing enough， she will want to return to their family home and pick up where they left off。 This review contains spoilers because it's the only way I can explain what is wrong with the boo Ben has been living with his single dad and an imaginary dog named Sunshine ever since his mom left the family when Ben was very young。 This summer， though， Ben has been invited to visit his mom on the secluded island where she lives， and he is determined to get some answers。 He also believes that if he is appealing enough， she will want to return to their family home and pick up where they left off。 This review contains spoilers because it's the only way I can explain what is wrong with the book。This book rubbed me the wrong way from the beginning。 To me， Ben is obviously a character with a lot of psychological trauma associated with his mom leaving home， and his imaginary dog is a very sad and somewhat creepy manifestation of that trauma。 Neither of his parents seem to care about the deeper issues underlying the fact that their son speaks to， pets， and even feeds an animal everyone knows is not there。 His dad is disapproving， and his mom is overly accommodating， but no one is taking a healthy approach to dealing with what is very obviously a deep pain in this boy's life。I also nearly flew into a blind rage when I heard that the mother， a victim of physical abuse herself， lost her temper with her preschooler once， and immediately walked out on the family never to return as a means of keeping her son safe。 The author clearly wants me to view this woman as a hero， but the character doesn't strike me that way at all。 There were plenty of ways she could have dealt with her brief instinct to hit her child， and to say that abandoning her son， who then develops a hallucination as a coping mechanism， was the right thing to do is appalling。 I'm honestly not sure why the world needs this book。 The writing is fine， but the idea that this kid accepts his mother's explanation and immediately forgives her is troubling， as is the ending where the imaginary dog goes to live with the mother until Ben comes back next year。 I left the story feeling as though no one learned anything and the mother was absolved of her wrongdoing without even apologizing for the right thing。 I thought I was reading a book about a boy who would face the questions of his past and move forward for himself。 Instead， it wound up that Ben's mother keeps his weird doggie delusion going and apparently gets to continue to live without the responsibility of caring for her child even now that she can clearly be trusted to look after him without beating him up。 And Ben has learned to feel good about his mom leaving him because it was actually heroic。 There are too many mental gymnastics involved in trying to make sense of how this is a happy ending。 Candlewick provided me with an ARC of Sunshine， which comes out May 18， 2021。 I chose to read it based on the author， but in the end， it was just not the book for me or my family。 Your mileage may vary， but， especially if you are a mom， probably not by much。This review also appears on my blog， Read-at-Home Mom。 。。。more
Rosi Hollinbeck
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For almost as long as Ben can remember， it has been just him， his little dog， Sunshine， and Ben’s dad。 His mother left when Ben was three。 He doesn’t know why， and his dad doesn’t like to talk about it。 Ben’s dad is great， but Ben really misses having a mother。 He is reminded of it all the time since his friends all have mothers。 But he has Sunshine with him， even if no one else can see her， and she is a great comfort to him。 Ben’s mother has been living on an island in Northern Minnesota， and B For almost as long as Ben can remember， it has been just him， his little dog， Sunshine， and Ben’s dad。 His mother left when Ben was three。 He doesn’t know why， and his dad doesn’t like to talk about it。 Ben’s dad is great， but Ben really misses having a mother。 He is reminded of it all the time since his friends all have mothers。 But he has Sunshine with him， even if no one else can see her， and she is a great comfort to him。 Ben’s mother has been living on an island in Northern Minnesota， and Ben has asked to spend a week with her in the summer。 His father reluctantly asked her， and she agreed。 Now Ben will see her for the first time in a very long time。 He and his dad wait on a dock of a big lake when they see a canoe coming。 It’s Ben’s mother。 She is strong and beautiful and very independent。 When Ben finds out his mother lives in a cabin with no wi-fi or electricity and an outhouse， he worries， but when his father says he can change his mind， Ben bravely goes forward with his plan。 He and Sunshine hop into the canoe and get on their way。 The island is wild and primitive。 Ben’s mother seems to accept Sunshine and that helps。 Ben has to sleep in a loft， climbing a ladder to get to his sleeping bag， which is scary for him， but he does it。 The loons at night sounds like wolves howling， and Ben and his mother encounter a bear and her cub。 It’s Sunshine that causes trouble with them and they have to run for their lives。 After a couple days， Ben offers to keep himself busy for an afternoon so his mother can work on her novel。 She tells Ben to explore the island but doesn’t tell him to stay on dry land。 Sunshine and Ben decide to take the canoe out， and that is when the real trouble begins。Marion Dane Bauer has written a wonderful story told from the point-of-view of young Ben。 Readers will relate to his dilemmas with divorced parents， an unknown mother， staying in a frightening place， trying to be brave， and learning so much about himself。 The addition of the imaginary dog is a perfect device to understand Ben and how he is learning， growing， and changing。 The writing is lovely， the characters are well-developed and very likable， and the story is compelling。 It is quite a page-turner， and it will keep young readers engaged to the end。 This is a terrific book。 I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jill
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Ben’s mom walked out of his life when he was 3 years old。 He’s felt like it was his fault ever since， but he’s got a plan。 He’s spending a week with his mother on her island in the woods， with no running water， electricity or phone service in hopes he can win back her love and convince her to come home again。 Ben plans to bring his dog Sunshine along for the adventure， so what could go wrong？The wilderness teaches Ben a thing or two about himself， facing fears and learning about the mom he ha Ben’s mom walked out of his life when he was 3 years old。 He’s felt like it was his fault ever since， but he’s got a plan。 He’s spending a week with his mother on her island in the woods， with no running water， electricity or phone service in hopes he can win back her love and convince her to come home again。 Ben plans to bring his dog Sunshine along for the adventure， so what could go wrong？The wilderness teaches Ben a thing or two about himself， facing fears and learning about the mom he hasn’t seen since he was young， but it also teaches him about growing up。 Exquisitely well written with so much packed into the awkward weeklong stay on a remote island just mom and son。 His mother’s feelings are almost palpable， and Ben’s narrative adds a sincere spin on the story within。 Thought provoking， fast paced and lovable Sunshine is certain to win over many hearts。*Disclaimer: A review copy was provided by the publisher。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Sunshine
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Sunshine&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Sunshine&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0