Harry Cat's Pet Puppy [Paperback]

George Selden (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

"Get that thing out of here!" Tucker shouted.



Tucker Mouse was waiting impatiently in the drainpipe in the Times Square subway station where he and his friend, Harry Cat, made their home.  And when Harry finally came home, he was dragging with him what looked like a dirty dish mop.  It was a puppy.



"It's staying for supper?" asked Tucker incredulously.



Huppy was to stay a good deal longer than that, and Tucker and Harry were kept busy seeing to the needs of their new pet.  As their fondness for Huppy grew, so did the dog, until the day came when he no longer fitted into the drainpipe.  A new home had to be found for him-but where?  Surely not with Max, leader of the Bryant Park pack of strays!  If only Miss Catherine, the high-toned Siamese cat of Mr. Smedley, the music teacher, could be persuaded to accept an addition to the family . ..

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Get that thing out of here!" Tucker shouted.

Tucker Mouse was waiting impatiently in the drainpipe in the Times Square subway station where he and his friend, Harry Cat, made their home. And when Harry finally came home, he was dragging with him what looked like a dirty dish mop. It was a puppy.

"It's staying for supper?" asked Tucker incredulously.

Huppy was to stay a good deal longer than that, and Tucker and Harry were kept busy seeing to the needs of their new pet. As their fondness for Huppy grew, so did the dog, until the day came when he no longer fitted into the drainpipe. A new home had to be found for him-but where? Surely not with Max, leader of the Bryant Park pack of strays! If only Miss Catherine, the high-toned Siamese cat of Mr. Smedley, the music teacher, could be persuaded to accept an addition to the family . ..

From the Inside Flap

"Get that thing out of here!" Tucker shouted.



Tucker Mouse was waiting impatiently in the drainpipe in the Times Square subway station where he and his friend, Harry Cat, made their home.  And when Harry finally came home, he was dragging with him what looked like a dirty dish mop.  It was a puppy.



"It's staying for supper?" asked Tucker incredulously.



Huppy was to stay a good deal longer than that, and Tucker and Harry were kept busy seeing to the needs of their new pet.  As their fondness for Huppy grew, so did the dog, until the day came when he no longer fitted into the drainpipe.  A new home had to be found for him-but where?  Surely not with Max, leader of the Bryant Park pack of strays!  If only Miss Catherine, the high-toned Siamese cat of Mr. Smedley, the music teacher, could be persuaded to accept an addition to the family . ..

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Yearling (October 15, 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440456479
• ISBN-13: 978-0440456476
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #137,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a find!, February 18, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Cat's Pet Puppy (Paperback)

As a teacher, I have used Selden's " Cricket in Times Square" for years as a read aloud to my students. It was only recently that I began searching for more books by Mr. Selden. Harry Cat's Pet Puppy is delightful. I know my students are going to fall in love with Huppy the poor puppy that Harry found cast on a dark and dirty New York street. Needless to say Harry takes him home to the drainpipe that he shares with Tucker the mouse. Harry and Tucker find that having a growing dog can make life in Times Square Subway station a bit difficult. This book uses tender humor to show that pets can bring wonderful joy and loads of responsibility to our lives. As always, Selden threads all the grand and sometimes terrible emotions of friendship throughout the book. Read and enjoy!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful,funny book for both the young and young-at-heart, February 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Harry Cat's Pet Puppy (Paperback)

This book was my favorite when I was a little girl; I used to read it over and over. It is a funny,heartwarming story of unlikely friendships. Harry cat, Tucker mouse, and Huppy (Harry's puppy)are delightful, memorable characters. A must-read for animal lovers, Harry Cat's Pet Puppy is unforgettable. I can't wait to read it again--for myself and for my future children!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Third night; third Selden animal book, December 16, 2011

By 

P. Laster (central Arkansas, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Harry Cat's Pet Puppy (Hardcover)

For three nights running, I read three George Selden (Thompson) books that I bought somewhere, sometime, for some reason. First, The Cricket in Times Square (1960). Second, Tucker's Countryside (1969). In the third book, Harry Cat's Pet Puppy (1974), I saw that Tucker Mouse and I have something in common. He "rearranged the clutter of everything he'd collected." (p.27)
Besides the delightful story and characters, Seldon has used some excellent writing techniques. One, this unusual phrase, "To put a dent in an iron silence..." (p.61) Two, his personification of nature, as in "A cold, gray rain...was punishing New York for something." (p.38)
He slipped in "rhetorical questions," "inveigle," and "pun," which might cause the child listener or reader to ask the reader/ or the adult in the room the meanings of those words.
He is good about showing emotion instead of telling. "A heavy minute passed." (p.90). And, "They looked away from each other. Eyes, when you're ashamed, can be painful." (p.96)
"He unhooked his eyes from Harry." (p. 129) I fear that one of the writers in my group would tsk-tsk at that phrase.
And then there's the marvelous assonance in two places. On p.103, this phrase: "...scurrying, furry nerves." And, on p.140, "...tufted Huppy's fur."
Readers of any age (I'm seventy-something) will find something to delight in while reading this book.