The Rough Patch

Evan and his dog did everything together, from listening to music to playing. Most of all, they liked to work in Evan's lovely garden. When his canine companion died, the fox withdrew from all of his usual activities, eventually destroying his garden in his anger at the universe. As weeds grew high and poisonous plants invaded, he encouraged everything dark and destructive to grow. Until, that is, a pumpkin began to grow, setting in motion a series of events that would reintroduce Evan to his other friends, at the local fair, and even lead to a new member of his family...

Highly recommended to me by a colleague, The Rough Patch offers a poignant depiction of loss and the grieving process, pairing a sensitively-written tale with beautiful show more artwork. Author/illustrator Brian Lies, perhaps best known as the creator of the Bats at the Beach picture-book series, captures the way that anger so frequently accompanies grief in his story, while his colorful illustrations, done in acrylic, oil and colored pencil, capture the emotional register of each scene. The most poignant moment, for me, was the one in which Evan, discovering his dog, presumably dead in his little bed, reached out a tentative hand. I did find it a little distracting that Evan and his compatriots were all depicted as foxes, as I felt (despite foxes being a particular interest of mine) that it didn't really add to the story, and was occasionally distracting for me. Leaving that aside, this is an engaging, thoughtful tale about losing a loved one, reacting with anger and grief, and eventually, healing. show less

In this exquisitely illustrated picture book, an anthropomorphic fox loves his pet dog and does everything with him, especially gardening. One day the dog dies (of old age--no brutal accident or anything), and the fox falls into a terrible grief, which is chiefly represented by his letting his garden go to weed.

This slammed me right in the heart. It's a lovely examination of grief and how one can slowly move out of it, but it is *ahem* rough going. I found the choice of a fox for the main character given his pet was a dog slightly odd, but I got over it pretty quick. Recommended, but know what you're letting yourself in for.

The Rough Patch is a beautifully crafted, emotionally rich picture book about love, loss, and the slow, hopeful work of healing. Brian Lies tells the story of Evan the fox, whose grief after losing his beloved dog turns his once‑joyful garden into a thorny, neglected patch. Through tender pacing and expressive illustrations, Lies shows how grief can feel overwhelming and how small, unexpected moments can begin to open the heart again. This would be a great book for young readers, adressing loss and ways of healing after. (2nd-3rd grade)

The Rough Patch broke my heart and filled me up within the same breath at times. I've never seen such a mature story of loss and grief so accurately portrayed, in a children's picture book no less. Author and illustrator, Brian Lies, uses vibrant illustrations and thoughtful candor to express the sharp pain of surprise loss of a loved one. We ascend into the dark depths of profound grief with a gardener, Evan, as he struggles to process his loyal companion's sudden death. He destroys the place where he and his dog shared their best memories in efforts to make his pain go away, and as someone who does not handle grief well, I immediately clung to it.

This book speaks volumes through it's robust and genuinely sincere illustrations. Leaving show more us to remember that life does go on.

WOW. show less

Get ready to cry. Brian Lies does a breathtaking job at capturing the stages of grief in just a few short pages. Losing a pet is never easy, and this book helps by showing that the stages of grief are perfectly normal. In the end, something beautiful came out of a bad situation.

Oh my goodness.

Even though I don't have any dogs residing in my home, my parents still do. And how I love those pups. I remember the passing of my childhood dog, Nikki, so vividly. It's a tough thing for anyone. I also remember of the emotions that nothing would ever help heal the whole she had left. But then Gracie came into the family; we had two beagles again. And while it didn't erase Nikki...it helped the pain

I've pretty much spoiled the plot line of "The Rough Patch". But this is a beautiful book in handling the loss of a pet, of accepting beauty back into your life. I got two of my coworkers emotional reading it. I did as well.

This book is really good for younger elementary students because it is a younger reading level. One thing about this book though is that it is very sad so some younger kids might not enjoy the content. A fox has a pet dog who actually ends up passing away. He is very lonely and starts gardening. He grows a big pumpkin and takes it to the local fair. He ends up getting a prize that actually is a new dog! The story has a good ending with the Fox finding a new friend and is no longer sad.