Customer Reviews

Harry the Dirty Dog

5 star:		(46)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an elementary school librarian in WV and each year I always anticipate the reading of Harry the Dirty Dog and the other Harry books to my students. They are always captivated with the stories of Harry and sit enthralled as I read to them. Often students request a reread of the Harry books throughout the school year. The Harry books become some of the most frequently checked out books after the children have heard the stories. We are hooked on Harry the Dirty Dog!! :)

I love the Harry the Dirty Dog series! A great story for kids and adults who like to read a good children's book.

Harry is an adorable white dog with black spots (as is repeated throughout all of the Harry books)... and he's always getting dirty. His entire family loves him and he loves them right back. Even when he's dirty, Harry is still family... which makes a great parable for parents explaining to their children that while they may not be happy when their kids mess up, they are still loved nonetheless.

The illustrations of this happy dog frolicking around are absolutely precious. The story is endearing and I have my copy sitting on my coffee table.

I adored this book as a child and I still have my original copy of "Harry the Dirty Dog" packed away in my parents' attic. Not only did I empathize with Harry because as I child I hated baths as much as Harry does, but I also knew that even when I was at my filthiest, way down deep inside, I was still loved.

I have a very dirty dog at home who is in desperate need of a "fur cut". He reminds me of Harry because he's completely unrecognizable. However, no matter how furry he gets, we'll still love him, just like Harry's owners love him!

Browsing through the internet, I found Harry the Dirty Dog. Harry was my favorite book as a child. I am 35 years old now, and I have rarely read anything that makes you feel this good. Harry is a great Dog. He made me feel loved, and I still like the way he hid his scrub brush under his favorite pillow. I still remember in vivid detail, the pictures of when he slid down the cole shoot and changed from a white dog with black spots to a black dog with white spots. I still love Harry. In fact, I'll stop by the local book store on my way home and buy my niece a new copy. ( Believe it or not, I have Harry the Dirty Dog packed with the rest of my old College Text Books ). I still love you Harry.

This is one of many children's books that was listed on my Kindergartener's must read list for school. We read it every night at bedtime. He thinks Harry is very clever!

Harry the Dirty Dog is the quintessential children's book for young readers. With its eye- appealing illustrations and simple text, it is the perfect transition from guided reading to independent reading. A delightful trip back to the 50's (sans the conservative vibe and racial/ misogynistic stereotypes of the time), Harry the Dirty Dog is the story of a little dog who is so opposed to getting a bath that he takes matters into his own hands... Er, paws? Harry buries his scrubbing brush in the back yard and takes off from home. While he has a day full of fun adventures, Harry not only gets himself dirtier, but also realizes that while he doesn't like taking a bath, there are many things about his family that he misses.

This was my all time favorite book as a child. Now that I have my own son, I wanted him to like Harry as much as I do. Luckily he does! I enjoy the illustrations and story are even better reading it aloud to him.

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Harry the Dirty Dog is a timeless classic for children (and their parents). Such a simple story: - a white dog with black spots becomes a black dog with white spots after a day's romp, followed by a temporary identity crisis.

Harry is one of those children's books where the story and the pictures mesh perfectly. The home-life and street scenes that Harry experiences are straight form the wholesome 1950's. Springtime daffodils are everywhere. In fact the green and golden colors are the only two colors that were on the illustrators palette. The pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham are at least half the charm of the book.

The drawings of Harry's family, their house and neighbourhood couldn't be simpler. The magic of this drawing style shines through when you see how she has captured the smiles and gasps on their faces.

All dog lovers know how dogs can smile. After Harry's homecoming, his bath (and hard scrub), and dinner we see Harry with the biggest doggy smile, you have ever seen.

This book will sure to be around and enjoyed by children for another 50 years.

The book being reviewed there is the original Harry the Dirty Dog which was published in 1956. There is a newer edition available, one that was published in 2006 where the illustrations have been enhanced with more color that the 1956 edition. I personally like this older edition, but I suppose that is a simple matter of taste.

Gene Zion wrote the book and his first wife Margaret Bloy Graham, a Caldecott Honor winner, did the illustrations. This was a wonderful collaboration and one of many these two talented individuals turned out over the years.

It should also be noted that this book spawned several others featuring Harry the Dog and these books have been the favorites of many over the years. (See below)

"Harry was a white dog with black spots who liked everything...except baths."

Now harry is a rather bright dog, as most dogs are, and one day, when he was getting a bit dirty, and realizes that his owners are preparing the dreaded bath! Oh no! Harry will do just about anything to get out of a bath so he steals the scrub brush, buries it in the backyard and takes off.

All day, Harry has an adventure followed by more adventures; dog tag with other dogs, playing in the street and at the railroad yard, and eventually even takes a slide down a coal chute. The key here is that as the day progresses Harry get dirtier and dirtier! As a matter of fact, rather than being a white dog with black spots, he is now a rather black dog with white spots...sort of. Harry is filthy.

Upon his return home he finds that his little escapade has changed his appearance so much that his own beloved family does not even recognize him. What to do, what to do? He performs all of his very clever flip-flop tricks to no avail. Finally, desperate at this point, Harry digs up his brush and begs for a bath.

All is well.

Kids get a kick out of this book as most of them can identify with Harry as to the odious bath. I suppose there is no great moral lesson to be learned in reading this book other than it is sometimes an advantage to be clean, but it is most certainly a fun read. I love the illustrations in this work also. This is one that has turned into a classic in children's literature and in my opinion, rightfully so.

As an interesting aside, a couple of years ago I had a kid ask me what a "coal chute" was. Actually, the little guy did not even know what coal was. Times have changed.

Some of the other books in this now famous series are:

Harry by the Sea
Harry by the Sea
No Roses for Harry!
Harry and the Lady Next Door (I Can Read Book 1)



Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

I absolutely adored this book when I was little, so of course I was pleased when one of my first graders picked it up at the school library and beged me to read it for our class read-aloud this afternoon. Since we have recently discussed thinking about characters' emotions as we read, this was a perfect exercise--the text never actually says just what the cute little dog Harry is feeling during his adventure of getting dirty. And if you think about it, his tale is quite poignant. Anway, comprehension lessons aside, my kids were glued to the story and we had a great discussion afterwards. The writing is brisk and fun and subtle, leaving plenty to the readers' assumptions. The black and white pictures are adorable, detailed, and full of expression. Really, not many people write like this anymore.