Argo and Me: A story about being scared and finding protection, love, and home

by Chandra Ghosh Ippen, Erich Ippen Jr (Illustrator)

Overview

"A touching tale, flawlessly told." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Ultimately this touching tale speaks volumes about overcoming trauma and the value of family-in all its many forms." - Booklife Reviews, Editor's Pick

Argo and Me is a heartwarming story about a puppy and a child who have each had multiple homes and tough times. Together, with the help of family, they figure out what scares them, they learn that they are lovable, and they find safety and home.

Families and therapists will find that the book helps start important conversations about times when children may have felt scared, how this may affect them, and ways that grown-ups can help them feel safe and loved.

The book may be especially helpful for children who . . .

Have experienced very stressful or traumatic experiences

Have been involved with the foster care system whether they currently reside with their birth parents or foster parents

Have been adopted

Have friends or family members who have been through tough times

The story was developed by the team that created . . .

Once I Was Very Very Scared

You Weren't With Me

Holdin Pott

Mama's Waves/Daddy's Waves

The Trinka and Sam Story Series - a free disaster series, jointly created with the National Child Traumatic Stress Network that has been shared with well over 400,000 families around the world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781950168170
Publisher:	Piplo Productions
Publication date:	09/01/2022
Pages:	34
Sales rank:	780,393
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.09(d)
Age Range:	3 - 11 Years

About the Author

Chandra Ghosh Ippen is a child psychologist and children's book author. She is Associate Director of the Child Trauma Research Program at the University of California, San Francisco and Director of Dissemination and Implementation for Child-Parent Psychotherapy. She is a member of the board of directors of Zero to Three and has spent the last 30 years conducting research, clinical work, and training in the area of childhood trauma. Her children's books include Once I Was Very Very Scared, You Weren't With Me, Holdin Pott, Mama's Waves, and the Trinka and Sam disaster series, which has reached over 350,00 families across the world.

As a boy, Erich was always interested in cartoons and character design. In his professional career, as a digital artist and technical director at Industrial Light and Magic, he has created visual effects for movies like Rango, Harry Potter, The Avengers and Star Wars, and many others. He is also a singer, songwriter, music producer aka Kingdom Krumb, and founding member of the San Francisco rock band District 8.

Editorial Reviews

"A touching tale, flawlessly told." "Chandra Ghosh Ippen's gentle, accessible text, paired with Erich Ippen Jr.'s expressive, full-color pen-and-watercolor illustrations, perfectly conveys the transformative power of patience, kindness, and love for those who've experienced trauma." - Kirkus, starred review

"In Ippen's sweet, compassionate picture book for children, a little boy learns the meaning of love, trust, and family alongside his rescue dog, Argo." "Ultimately this touching tale speaks volumes about overcoming trauma and the value of family-in all its many forms." - Booklife Reviews, Editor's Pick

Argo and Me by Chandra Ghosh Ippen is such a lovely story and ideal to create conversations around what constitutes a stable home. This book is not only for adopted children but for any child. . . Creating healthy individuals is what makes this book great. Get your copy today. Highly recommended. - Reader's Favorite, 5 stars

"This is sooooo pitch perfect both in words and in pictures. Chandra and Erich did it again! What a gift." - Alicia F. Lieberman, Ph.D. Irving B. Harris Endowed Chair of Infant Mental Health, Professor, UCSF Department of Psychiatry

From the Publisher

10/03/2022

In Ippen’s sweet, compassionate picture book for children, a little boy learns the meaning of love, trust, and family alongside his rescue dog, Argo. Coming from an animal shelter, Argo has passed through many homes— and some were cruel or neglectful, which makes it hard for the animal to trust people and also causes him to be afraid of thunderstorms and boots. As a foster child with a heartbreaking history of his own, the young narrator relates to Argo’s plight. “Some people I lived with before had big problems and didn’t always take good care of me,” he says. “Sometimes I worried about new people and new places. Sometimes I felt scared and didn’t know why.”

Ultimately Argo and the boy both come to understand that they are safe and loved, even when times are tough. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of this lesson involves the healthy expression of anger. When Argo chews up one of the boy’s favorite toys, the boy initially gets upset and yells at his pet – but then he realizes Argo looks scared as a result of his outburst. “I’m mad, but I still love you,” he tells the dog. The boy’s empathy and self-awareness will help children and their parents consider their own reactions when they get mad, as well as how to handle strong emotions in the future.

Erich Ippen Jr.’s colorful, soft-edged illustrations give depth to the story by offering hints to the characters’ pasts. Argo, for instance, was born in an alley and spent part of his life chained up in a barren backyard, and the boy is shown sitting alone in a crib while two adults argue in the next room. These emotional illustrations will give kids plenty of chances to ask questions and reflect on their own experiences and fears. Ultimately this touching tale speaks volumes about overcoming trauma and the value of family—in all its many forms.

Takeaway: A little boy learns the meaning of love, trust, and family alongside his rescue dog, Argo.

Great for fans of: Simon James’s Mr. Scruff, Lisa Papp’s Madeline Finn and the Shelter Dog.

Production grades Cover: A Design and typography: A Illustrations: A Editing: A Marketing copy: A

BookLife Reviews

★ 2022-08-25
A child and a dog with troubled pasts bond in this picture book.

Canine Argo and a young, unnamed human narrator both love playing, running, and cuddling on the couch. They also both lived in many other places before they got together. Argo once resided in an animal shelter, where he was very frightened until two employees made him feel safe. Although it’s not overtly stated, the child appears to have been in foster care; in one scene, the character is shown as a baby while two faceless adults argue in the background. The text is informative without being scary: “Some people I lived with before had big problems and didn’t always take good care of me.” When Argo chews up a beloved toy, the narrator explodes with anger until his family member (an unnamed adult) talks about the effects of Argo’s past. The child apologizes and the pair make amends: “He feels safe and loved,” the child says. “Just like me.” In less skilled hands, this story could have treacly undertones (or worse, be upsetting to kids), but Chandra Ghosh Ippen’s gentle, accessible text, paired with Erich Ippen Jr.’s expressive, full-color pen-and-watercolor illustrations, perfectly conveys the transformative power of patience, kindness, and love for those who’ve experienced trauma. The narrator is depicted as Black; adult characters have varying skin tones.

A touching tale flawlessly told.

Kirkus Reviews