Thursday, April 10, 2014

Book Review: Nobody's Dog (dog, children)


Nobody’s Dog by Charlotte Graeber (Hyperion, 1998, 32 pages, ages 4-8)

Some books should be rewritten every few years, perhaps updated, because they are so good the story bears repeating. Nobody’s Dog deserves another generation of devoted children. It could be a classic – if you can find it.

A Library Goldmine!

Not a rare occurrence today (especially in the day of Facebook) is someone taking their dog for a car ride, dropping him off, and driving away. It usually happens in the country but in Nobody’s Dog, it fortunately happened in town, on River Road.

What a beginning for a children’s book – but so well-written and more sensitive  than how I penned the incident above.

And soon forgotten in the dog’s search for a new home.

“A Small White Dog with . . . . “

You child will love this book as he/she gets to know “the small white dog with one brown ear (the right one), two brown paws (the front ones), and a feathery tail.” Children will soon be able to recite the phrase as soon as it starts to appear over and over again. And, it is just the right size for little hands and short attention spans.

The Community Plot

The dog makes his way from house to house to house to house. Everyone loves him but nobody wants him (too small, too noisy, or whatever). However, they do leave food out, and water, and hope someone will take him in. In the end, they all cheer his choice of a home.

How the small white dog finds his new home is a delightful story of perseverance, well worth a discussion or two.

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