TYPE & SUBTYPE: Realistic Fiction, Emotional Realism

Title: Fetch
Author: Becky Bravo
Illustrator: Blooey Singson
Publisher: Lampara Publishing House, Inc.
Place and Date of Publication: Manila, Philippines, 2009
No. of Pages: 32
Awards Received: Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature, Second Prize
Short Story for Children 1997
Summary:
Once upon a time, there was an old lonely man and his pet dog who lived on top of
a mountain. Because he was lonely, the old man would often send his dog to the
village below to get things that would amuse him. Day by day, the dog brings home
different things such as banduria, sungka, parrot, monkey, and music box. But
because the old man cant produce good music; because the old man is alone to
play sungka; the pets were ill; and the music box was ruined, the old man asked his
dog again to fetch him another thing to amuse him. The dog went down the village
and searched for new thing again, but it could not. Every time he asks the village
people, all of them say they got no more things to give, so theyll just go up the
mountain to see the old man. The dog continued the search for how many days. At
the same time, the village people decided to bring their homes up the mountain
because of being tired going up and down the mountain every time they visit the
old man. After how many days, the dog went home and its master thanked him for
serving him very well as it was able to fetch his master the village.
Remarks:
The book Fetch is all about the relationship of an old man to his dog and with the
village people below the mountain where they live. The book was written to give us
idea on how an ideal relationship between anyone should be. This can also be a
start of a good discussion with children regarding the importance and practice of
obedience and loyalty. In the story, the author wants to convey that loyalty and
heartfelt servility are one of the big factors that can affect relationship between
anyone. By reading this story, you can also say that no material thing can beat the
happiness that you can feel from the people around you. Children who live or stay
with their grandparents can easily relate to the story, putting themselves to the
shoes of the pet dog. Sometimes, they are becoming too demanding but still we
would do or give anything to make them happy. Sometimes, they are becoming too

irritating, old days symptoms as they say, but still we would spend our afternoons
sitting by their sides and listening to their stories. I think we really cannot remove
our grandparents from the equation that they really belong to our hearts no matter
how demanding and irritating they are sometimes.