Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale [School & Library Binding]

Dan Dye (Author), Mark Beckloff (Author), Meg Cundiff (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

Now in paperback, AMAZING GRACIE is a moving, funny, and inspirational canine rags-to-riches story. Tears will stain the pages as you read about Gracie, says USA Today. The Chicago Tribune advises, If you're short on inspiration, read Amazing Gracie. You don't have to be obsessed with dogs to love this story (Philadelphia Enquirer), Two paws up (Portland Oregonian), humorous yet poignant (ASPCA Animal Watch). Booklist comments that Dog-loving teens, especially reluctant readers, will eat this up. AMAZING GRACIE was nominated as a Young Adult Choice for 2002 by The International Reading Association-proof that it's a great crossover book.

Gracie was a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a delicate constitution and a penchant for small miracles. Dan is the man-sad over the loss of his last dog and trapped in a dead-end job-who adopted her. Three Dog Bakery is the burgeoning and much-publicized chain of canine bakeries that, inspired by Gracie, Dan and his friend Mark founded. A love story, AMAZING GRACIE describes how Dan saves Gracie, the loneliest pup in the litter, then how, over the next ten years, Gracie saves Dan and Mark, teaching them the real meaning of happiness. There's the moment of meeting, when Gracie gets to her feet like a clumsy foal and nuzzles Dan's nose. Gracie's romance with the pint-size Boston Terrier next door. And the eureka moment (born of Gracie's anorexia-inducing dislike for commercial dog food): Dan teaches himself to cook and within three days begins baking the dog cookies that will transform their lives. AMAZING GRACIE is a dog-lover's treat.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"It's funny how the smallest things can change a life. Gracie was that thing. If you're short on inspiration, read Amazing Gracie."
—Chicago Tribune --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Book Description

It's a love story. A story of salvation. And a rags-to-riches story about a dog-yes, a dog-who launched Three Dog Bakery, the burgeoning international retail chain with 31 stores and counting. There is Dan, trapped in a dead-end job and grieving the loss of his pet of eighteen years. And there is Gracie, a deaf and partially blind albino Great Dane with a delicate constitution and penchant for small miracles. In the middle of a bitter Kansas City winter, Dan would save the loneliest pup in the litter, Gracie. And over the next ten years, Gracie would save Dan-helping him learn the meaning of happiness.

A moving, funny, inspirational tale, AMAZING GRACIE is a dog-lover's treat. There is the moment of meeting-Gracie getting to her feet like a clumsy foal and nuzzling Dan's nose. The first day in a new house-Dan's roommate and business partner Mark calling the police thinking a burglar was trapped in the back room. Gracie's romance with her next-door neighbor, a Boston Terrier named Byron. And the eureka moment-born of necessity (Gracie's anorexia-producing dislike for commercial dog food), Dan teaches himself how to cook, and within three days is baking her the cookies that will transform their lives. Though several more years would pass before The Wall Street Journal discovered Three Dog Bakery, Oprah ate one of their dog cookies on national television, and Gracie and the gang appeared on Conan O'Brien, the germ of their success was right there-in this heartfelt relationship of a man and a dog.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• School & Library Binding: 248 pages
• Publisher: San Val (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613921739
• ISBN-13: 978-0613921732
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (192 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,432,785 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, moving -- a great gift for dog lovers, April 18, 2002

By 

David Rain "random reader" (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale (Hardcover)

I laughed, I cried (sobbed, really), I fell in love. This is a sweet, sweet book and more -- a love story and the chronicle of a man coming into his own. It ranks right up there with J.R. Ackerley's "My Dog Tulip" in the annals of classic dog literature. I plan to buy a copy for every dog lover I know. I hope this book will encourage people to take a chance and rescue an animal that may not meet the standards of the AKC. Millions of dogs and cats are put to death each year in the U.S. because no one wants them, and this story is proof of the great potential for love and joy these dogs have.

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book for Dog Lovers Everywhere!, October 24, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale (Hardcover)

I just finished this wonderful book and plan on buying more copies for Christmas as gifts. This is the story of Gracie, an albino, deaf great dane puppy who inspires Dan, her owner, to start the chain of bakeries: Three Dog Bakery. It was a funny book, although the last pages will definately get to you if you've ever been through an older dogs final days.

I truly laughed out loud through much of the book... Gracie's love life reminded me of my own! Her life, although she was deaf, was full of love and devotion, but she definately had a mischeivous streak which all dog owners will relate to. This was simply a wonderful read that provided much more story than I was even hoping for. Amazing Gracie proves that dogs can inspire and teach us as well as make excellent companions!

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny, Touching Story of an Unlikely Canine Savior, November 3, 2003

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Amazing Gracie: A Dog's Tale (Hardcover)

"Amazing Gracie" is author Dan Dye's loving tribute to his canine companion of 10 years, Gracie, a big lovable deaf albino Great Dane, who was the inspiration for his and Mark Beckloff's successful "Three Dog Bakery" business. Gracie's life was fraught with near-fatal mishaps from the start -by the age of 8 weeks she had narrowly escaped death's jaws a few times- and she always had a delicate constitution. When her finicky eating habits threatened her health, Dan was left with no choice but to cook for her. And so the beginning of Three Dog Bakery was created by a guy who couldn't cook to save his life, but undertook the task with unwavering determination to save his dog's. Gracie and Mark's two dogs, Sarah and Dottie, became the Bakery's mascots and tireless taste-testers as the business grew from Dan and Mark's kitchen to 32 stores and a hopping mail order business. "Amazing Gracie" is the story of this family: Dan, Mark, Gracie, Sarah, and Dottie, their business, and of an unlikely canine hero who went from throwaway pup to national celebrity by means of love and loyalty. Dan Dye is an entertaining storyteller who often takes a humorous tone when speaking of his and the dogs' misadventures -probably advisable when your roommate and business "partner" is a humongous slobbering deaf dog. "Amazing Gracie" is a funny, moving true tale and a reminder of how animals can touch and even radically change the lives of the humans who care for them.