Courtney (Red Fox Picture Books) [Paperback]

John Burningham (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 9, 1996 | Age Level: 3 and up | Grade Level: P and up | Series: Red Fox Picture Books

Courtney is the dog that nobody wants, but the children think he's lovely. When they take him home, their parents are very disappointed—he's just an old mongrel. But Courtney turns out to be a wonder-dog who can cook, juggle, and even play the violin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Burningham's ( Hey, Get Off Our Train! ; Granpa ) insouciant tale opens as two children beseech their parents for a dog. Although the adults insist that such a pet needs a great deal of care, they breezily give in ("Oh, very well then, if you must."), provided that the kids choose a "proper dog. One with a pedigree." Instead, the youngsters decide on an old mongrel named Courtney who, as it turns out, is no ordinary canine. Soon after arriving, he slips away and returns lugging a huge pink trunk. From it he pulls a chef's hat and proceeds to cook up a meal. Donning a waiter's jacket, Courtney serves the food in style, and then plays the violin while the family dines. This astonishing pet goes on to display great bravery when he saves the baby from the family's burning house. Like the siblings featured here, readers may be distressed when Courtney and his trunk disappear one day, but the tale's cleverly cryptic ending implies that the heroic dog has not really abandoned his adopted family. A caveat: though intentionally sketchy, Burningham's art on some pages seems unfinished. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 2-When the children want a pet, their parents reluctantly send them to the Dogs' Home with the instructions to adopt one with a proper pedigree. The children, who follow their own counsel, have only one requirement: they want a dog that nobody else wants, one that will not easily find a home. The canine that fills this requirement is Courtney, an old, unwanted mongrel who proves to have a long list of unexpected capabilities. He wins grudging approval from the parents by cooking, playing the violin, and entertaining the baby. When he disappears, their disapproval of his undocumented lineage is confirmed ("If they are not thoroughbreds, you cannot rely on them"). During a summer boating accident, when the children are dangerously set adrift in the sea, they are miraculously towed ashore by something or someone the adults cannot quite see. Of course, readers may guess, or, if they look closely, they may even see the deliverer. This is all typically assured Burningham at his ironic best: the deadpan, unregenerate parents; the sagacious youngsters; and a dog who looks a bit like Groucho Marx. The artist's expressive, broken-line cartoons convey his wit. His spreads, full of white space and unsaturated colors, express a lightheartedness well suited to a message of the triumph of simple, childlike acceptance-a message ever so gently delivered with successfully sly humor.
Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Red Fox (December 9, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0099666812
• ISBN-13: 978-0099666813
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 9.8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Children Librarian's Recommendation, July 16, 2005

By 

A. Badillo "Children's Librarian" (Chicago Illinois) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Courtney (Hardcover)

Courtney is a wonderful book to read aloud to school-age children. There's enough interesting characters if you enjoy changing your voice to match each one. (Mother, Father, child, policeman....) The story opens with a brother & sister who desperately want a dog and eventually get their parents to agree. They go to the dog pound and choose the biggest, ugliest mutt you can imagine. But the dog is wonderful!
Courtney cleans house, mows the grass, cooks, plays a violin and turns into a juggler to entertain the baby in the family. There's a catch, though; Courtney likes to roam and one day just disappears, but returns at the end of the story in dramatic fashion- It's a wonderful book-one I will always have on my shelves!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is what adults should be reading to kids, December 30, 2005

By 

Stepford Wife (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Courtney (Hardcover)

What a wonderful book. I adore John Burningham's books, and this one is my 4-year-old daughter's favorite (and mine!). It has a wonderful messsage and is genuinely touching without being condescending, a real rarity these days in children's books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps the best children's book ever written!, May 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Courtney (Hardcover)

This is one of the most beautifully written children's books that I have ever read. When I first read it to my little brother, he asked me to read it to him again -- it's that good! A simple story about two children and a magical dog, Courtney is wonderful. It's a shame that this book, along with another great Burningham book -- "Avacado Baby" -- remains out of print. I know that I was disappointed to learn this, wanting a copy of my own. This book is just beautiful!