A Day, A Dog [Hardcover]

Gabrielle Vincent (Author)

Book Description

Gabrielle Vincent's poignant black-and-white drawings depict a series of adventures that lead a dog from abandonment at the side of the road to acceptance by a young boy who smiles and invites the dog into his world. The story, which begins on a bleak note, ends with the triumph of resourcefulness and love. A visual tribute to life's possibilities, it will be appreciated by readers of all ages. "Astonishing drawings! Fierce, fleeting images that manage, despite their intense breathlessness, to meticulously tell a tale full of power and honesty. An entirely unique work of art."- Maurice Sendak

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5 Up-This wordless picture book by the creator of the "Ernest and Celestine" books (Greenwillow) will have a limited audience. With supreme economy of line, Vincent's black-and-white sketches relay what happens to a dog after he is forced out of a car and abandoned. The artist records the events matter-of-factly: the creature attempts to follow his owners, narrowly escapes being hit on the street (while causing a major accident-the central action), pees on a parked car in the midst of the chaos, and makes his way to a nearby town. There he encounters a lonely looking boy, resulting in an open-ended conclusion. While the illustrations are engaging, most children will find the existentialism bewildering. Purchase where sophisticated picture books are appreciated.
Wendy Lukehart, Dauphin County Library, Harrisburg, PA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The author and illustrator of the Ernest and Celestine books offers something quite different here. With no text and minimal charcoal sketches, she tells the dramatic story of an abandoned dog. From the opening, upsetting image, which shows a car from behind, an arm out the window, and a dog falling to the ground, emotions will stir. Then the dog dashes into the road, causing two cars to collide, a bitter, ironic twist to what was "just" a dog-dumping. Readers will empathize with the lost, frightened, and lonely animal as it wanders from place to place, searching. Vincent's sketches, which capture the physical language of a dog, will provoke many feelings and even more questions. That's a good thing, too, for the honest imagery demands that adults stop and talk seriously with children about how we treat each other. Kathy Broderick
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Front Street imprint of Boyds Mills Press (November 9, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886910510
• ISBN-13: 978-1886910515
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #841,579 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary volume, April 18, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Day, A Dog (Hardcover)

I scarcely know whether to give this book one/zero star or five stars;I've gone with five on the basis of the strong reactions it provokes. I agree with the first reviewer that the Amazon review is overly optimistic with respect to the outcome of the story; I can't imagine buying this book for a child. Good Dog Carl, this is not. I could see using this book as a take-off point for young adult/adult discussions of responsibility, commitment, ambiguity, etc., or of the power of art to tell a story, or our ability to "fill in the blanks" when presented with only part of a story. It actually hurt to look through this volume a second and third time, but its effect on me is best summed up by saying that I decided to stay home with my dogs this evening rather than go to a baseball game. This is one book you won't forget.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sad, But Extremely Necessary Book, June 17, 2002

By 

Sherry A. Martin (Baltimore, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Day, A Dog (Hardcover)

So many reviewers have praised this book so eloquently, I don't know that I have much to add in that sense. But I would like to address some reviewers' concerns that this book is inappropriate for children because it is too sad or disturbing. In this story, a helpless animal is cruelly abandoned. Dogs are pack animals; there is no more miserable state for them than being alone. We SHOULD feel sad about this story, and children shouldn't be sheltered from some of the sad realities of life. If they read this story, and empathize with the dog, well then, they will think twice in the future about doing such an inhumane thing to their pets. Parents should not hesitate to give this book to their children; however, they should share the experience with the child, and be present to process any thoughts or feelings that the child has. With younger children, parents may discuss how animals are entitled to kindness and consideration, just like human beings. With older children, the subjects of responsibility, loneliness, and finding one's place in the world may come up. In any case, this book will cause children to think, and families to discuss important issues. And that is NEVER a bad thing.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A rare find..., November 17, 2000

By 

Kelly (Southwest, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Day, A Dog (Hardcover)

I have three young boys and a large picture book collection. Every night we sit close and spend quality time reading and discussing stories. It was by chance, in a Children's Lit course, that I came across this book. What a rare find! A Day, a Dog tells the story of an abandoned dog and his... search for home. The story is completely wordless and "told" in charcoal sketches. What makes this such a great book is not the emotional impact it will have on you, but the following discussion that it demands. Responsibility, caring, friendship, commitment, and loyalty are just a few of the character traits that are easily discussed and follow naturally from the story. It is my belief that the story ultimately has a positive conclusion. See for yourself, you will not be disappointed. Furthermore, I believe that one day this book will go out of print and you will be fortunate to own such a treasure. Buy it, "read" it, and discuss it. Enjoy...

Edit 12/25/2011 (Merry Christmas eleven years later): Well, our little boys are now 16, 14, and 11. And would you believe, we adopted a young sweetie from Ukraine and she has been home a little over a year. Today I was going through my books and I was surprised at how this book again spoke to me, this time in the context of adoption. As predicted, the book is no longer in print and finding a new copy will cost you over $100.00. This is an amazing book. Today I share my thoughts as an adoptive parent and believe it will make for good "reading" with our daughter to help put some things in context.