Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself (A Little Golden Book) [Hardcover]

Margaret Wise Brown (Author), Garth Williams (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 2 and up

Once upon a time there was a funny dog named Crispin’s Crispian. He was named Crispin’s Crispian because he belonged to himself.So begins the story of a dog who runs bang into a little boy, who also belongs to himself. This quirky, breathtakingly illustrated story is one of Margaret Wise Brown’s best.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Once upon a time there was a funny dog named Crispin?s Crispian. He was named Crispin?s Crispian because he belonged to himself.So begins the story of a dog who runs bang into a little boy, who also belongs to himself. This quirky, breathtakingly illustrated story is one of Margaret Wise Brown?s best.

About the Author

Garth Williams was a prolific illustrator of Golden Books. His illustrations have brought to life Charlotte’s Web, Mister Dog, Home for a Bunny, Stuart Little, and many other children’s classics.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 2 and up
  
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Western Publishing Company, Inc. (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307103366
• ISBN-13: 978-0307103369
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 0.2 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #157,824 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Garth

More About the Author

Margaret Wise Brown wrote hundreds of books and stories during her life, but she is best known for Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny. Even though she died over 45 years ago, her books still sell very well. Margaret loved animals. Most of her books have animals as characters in the story. She liked to write books that had a rhythm to them. Sometimes she would put a hard word into the story or poem. She thought this made children think harder when they are reading. She wrote all the time. There are many scraps of paper where she quickly wrote down a story idea or a poem. She said she dreamed stories and then had to write them down in the morning before she forgot them. She tried to write the way children wanted to hear a story, which often isn't the same way an adult would tell a story. She also taught illustrators to draw the way a child saw things. One time she gave two puppies to someone who was going to draw a book with that kind of dog. The illustrator painted many pictures one day and then fell asleep. When he woke up, the papers he painted on were bare. The puppies had licked all the paint off the paper. Margaret died after surgery for a bursting appendix while in France. She had many friends who still miss her. They say she was a creative genius who made a room come to life with her excitement. Margaret saw herself as something else - a writer of songs and nonsense.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book to grow up by, April 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself (A Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)

I first read this book to my son when he was about 5. He loved the illustrations and laughed like crazy at the pictures of the dogs with their tongues lolling out of their mouths. We continued to read this book for many years. Now my son is 22 and he really does belong to himself. I asked him recently if he had patterned his life on the ideas in Mister Dog. He didn't even have to think before he confirmed what I always knew. This book's emphasis on self reliance and love for another is just that powerful. A must!!!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We love Crispin's Crispian!, November 4, 2004

By 

Paula's Books "PB" (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself (A Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)

I knew this would be a good book, when I saw it was written by Margaret Wise Brown. It proved to be true. I immediately fell in love with Crispin's Crispian, and his little home and life. The illustrations are charming. The story tugs at your heart upon seeing a little boy all by himself, fishing.... But you have to read the rest to see what happens. Don't go into this story with too much of an analytical mindset. It is just a wonderful children's story, that will be read again and again.
It would make a wonderful bed time story, as it is happy and magical in a way. It definitely has an old fashioned sweetness that I just love. I am just thrilled that Golden Books have decided to release some of their old classics. I was starting to worry their for some time, when I had a hard time finding Golden Books like these in the stores. I loved it, and would highly recommend it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Stangely Interesting Book, May 22, 2003

By 

"ryanandmaggiesdad" (Naperville, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself (A Little Golden Book) (Hardcover)

My two-year old daughter--an avid "reader"--cannot get enough of this book. It's the first book that she's ever asked for over and over again on a continuous loop.
In a nutshell, Mister Dog (aka Crispin's Crispian)--who belongs to no one--befriends a little boy who belongs to no one and they decide to live together in the dog's 2-story doghouse. Don't even try to reason the story, but at [$$$] you can't go wrong. And besides, what's not to like about a pipe-smoking, straw hat wearing dog?