Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark [Hardcover]

Lynn Cullen (Author), Jacqueline Rogers (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

At a time when men and dogs are not friendly, Scraggly Hair helps Noah build an ark and round up the pairs of animals it will carry, but conditions on the boat turn his warm, dry nose to a cold, wet one.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-This story reads aloud well, but the author's choice to set it in Appalachia is disconcerting and confusing. Back in the days when dogs had warm, dry noses, a scruffy brown pooch searches for a home. Lonely and hungry, Little Scraggly Hair enters a farmyard where Noah is building a huge boat. After the man throws him a crumb, the dog helps out by carrying bags of nails and fetching pieces of wood. When the time comes to gather the animals, he herds them aboard. The ark is so crowded that he has to stick his nose out through a knothole, and it becomes cold and wet during the journey. When they reach land, Noah tells his disapproving wife that Little Scraggly Hair must stay by the fire until his nose is warm and dry again. So begins the friendship between canines and humans. The text is written in a southern Appalachian dialect. The soft, realistic watercolor illustrations bring in the visual elements of this region-wooden cabins, rag rugs, mountains-as well as the drama of the Flood. Definitely a different take on Noah's tale, this picture book is an additional purchase.
Linda Staskus, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 3. Using Appalachian dialect for a story about Noah's ark may seem peculiar, but the device makes for such an appealing read-aloud that few children will object. In this version of the story of the ark and the legend of how dogs got wet noses (and became household companions), Noah and Little Scraggly Hair are misunderstood creatures. They are pilloried by their peers, one because he's a dog that likes the way cats purr, the other because he's building a huge boat in his cornfield. Noah kindly shares his food with Little Scraggly, who becomes his only helper, even herding "them critters into the ark, dodgin' elephants' feet and crocodiles' teeth." Last aboard, the mutt has to stick his nose through a knothole because the ark is so crowded. Forty days of rain later, Noah persuades his wife to allow the dog inside their new house to dry out. Thus, man's best friend was born, wet nose and all. Cullen's sprightly storytelling is well matched by Rogers' watercolor illustrations, which capture the comical orneriness of Noah's family, the eager grin on Little Scraggly Hair, the warmth of Noah, and the challenges of fitting so many animals on one little boat. Abby Nolan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; 1 edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823417727
• ISBN-13: 978-0823417728
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 9.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,993,289 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars DOG-GONE GOOD MORAL IN THIS STORY, January 29, 2004

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark (Hardcover)

Puppies are irresistible and so is a unique and very special one - Little Scraggly Hair who lived years and years ago. And, of all things, this pup had a warm, dry nose.

In his day people weren't dog lovers. In fact, they had absolutely no use for them. Dogs weren't allowed in their cabins: "Sooner ask in their pigs." As if this weren't bad enough for Little Scraggly Hair the other dogs didn't like him either. He was unusual because he didn't chase cats; he rather liked them. All this little fellow knew was to run and hide because he was positive he'd always be chased off. Furthermore, he surely was hungry.

Fortunately for Little Scraggly Hair he wandered into the yard of a man named Noah who was working very hard at building a boat. That was surprising as there wasn't any water nearby. Even more surprising was Noah's kindness - he was nice to the puppy and shared his dinner with him.

The surprise in this endearing tale of friendship between a man and a puppy is how puppies developed cold wet noses.

Children will find lots of smiles and a valuable lesson to learn in "Little Scraggly Hair."

- Gail Cooke

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet little mutt - sweet little story, October 10, 2005

By 

Nagelmeister (Roswell) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark (Hardcover)

I'm partial to mutts - they always seem to be loyal and have a sweet disposition. This story is wonderful. I love the dialect, I love the transformation and I love the point of the story. Wonderful, wonderful!

4.0 out of 5 stars Took some time to warm up to, September 25, 2008

By 

mama - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Little Scraggly Hair: A Dog on Noah's Ark (Hardcover)

I read this to my 6 year old daughter the first couple times and we both found it frustrating. It is written with a "hillbilly" dialect which was difficult for my daughter to understand. I found myself explaining the story after each line I read. We put the book on the shelf and she did not choose it for a bedtime story for months. When she pulled it out again, I decided to read it with that Southern accent, and have fun with it. Now, it's become one of her favorite bedtime stories.