My Dog, My Hero [Hardcover]

Betsy Byars (Author), Laurie Myers (Author), Betsy Duffey (Author), Loren Long (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

'My Hero' to Be Chosen: Eight finalists will compete tonight for the title My Hero. The winner will wear the coveted gold Hero medal. These brave and courageous dogs will each appear with their nominator who will tell their story.

There's Smiley, who fought a giant bull. Bear used his giant paws to save the life of another dog. Munchkin warned a gardener of a poisonous snake about to strike. Old Dog helped find people buried under rubble after a tornado. Buster pulled a baby carriage out of the path of a careening truck. Blue, who had never been known to bark, used his voice to bring help to his wounded master. Dopey's constant barking saved the life of a baby left in a sweltering car. Little Bit brought love and companionship to a nursing home resident.

Each story is told in the unique, sometimes humorous, but always Compelling voice of the person whose life was changed by the heroic action of a very extraordinary dog. Betsy Byars and her daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers have joined forces to create dog stories full of adventure and suspense. Loren Long's paintings capture the heroic dignity of each of the dogs and heighten the drama of their special stories.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Byars and her daughters set up this collection of eight stories as though a contest for the "My Hero" award were underway and they were serving as judges. A cross-section of citizens enter, each relating a story of one canine's valiant behavior, from rescuing a baby to restoring joy to a lonely person's life to finding people trapped after a tornado. Happily, not a single dog is lost in the process. The authors provide a distinct voice for each narrator and a distinct personality for each animal while highlighting the common themes of gratitude, admiration, and love. The short-story format and popular topic make this a sound choice for older reluctant readers as well as for younger children. A full-color painting and a cameo portrait of the pet accompany each selection.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. Newbery Medal-winner Byars and daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers--dog lovers all--collaborate for the first time in this collection of eight stories about extraordinarily heroic dogs. Each of the first-rate tales is told from the point of view of a contestant entering a dog in the My Hero contest. Among the entries is one from a gruff gardener who has no use for dogs until one alerts him to a poisonous snake lurking in his petunias. In another, a 93-year-old woman relates how a dog's cold nose and loving touch transformed her after she'd given in to depression in a nursing home. Drama, humor, excitement, and love fuel these short, well-written stories that are certain to be relished by dog lovers. The selections can also provide students in English classes with excellent examples of point of view, characterization, and plot construction. Loren Long's evocative full-color artwork not only shows off each canine but also invites readers into the crises and emotions of the episodes. Ellen Mandel
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (October 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805063277
• ISBN-13: 978-0805063271
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My students love this book!, March 14, 2009

By 

K. Byrd (Central, SC United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: My Dog, My Hero (Hardcover)

I am a librarian at an elementary school and I always read this book out loud to my third graders. The other reviewers tell about this book so I will skip that part and say that my students love it. I know how much they love it because it because I have numerous copies and they are continually checked out with numerous holds on each copy--copies rarely make it to the shelves during the school year. The third graders are not the only students who check it out, though. Fourth and fifth graders also request it and I have had middle school students who get a dreamy-eyed look when they come back to visit and see the book in the hold basket. They invariably say: "My Dog, My Hero! Do you still read it to the third graders?" My Dog, My Hero is, in my opinion, a "magic" book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Dog, My Hero ..... The best book ever!, November 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: My Dog, My Hero (Hardcover)

There are many, many, many books that I love to read, but most of all I love to read the book, My Dog My Hero. It is my favorite book. Even though it is short, it is wonderful. One reason it is my favorite book is because it is an animal book. I love animal books, especially dog books. They just give me that feeling . That really good feeling. Next, I like this book so much because the dogs are so brave. One example is when a small dog is on ice, but the ice breaks .The puppy is stuck in the freezing cold water. Then, the big heroic dog leaped into the icy lake only to save the small puppy. I absolutely love this book. Finally, the third reason I like this book so much is because.......well......I don't know, I guess its because these dogs risk their lives for their owner or another dog. This is truly my favorite book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An awesome review by Ti'Anna Scott, May 12, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: My Dog, My Hero (Hardcover)

Anyone who likes to read about dogs, here's a book for you! "My Dog, My Hero" is by Betsy Byers and is set in Mr.Frankie's trailer park. The main characters were Smiley, Bear, Munchkin, Old Dog, Buster, Blue, Little Bit and Dopey who were all great dogs. In the story the main characters saved people's lives and other dogs' lives. The main characters also ran into problems like: bulls getting out of gates, helping a man not to get a snake bite, helping another dog from frozen ice, preventing a car that almost ran over a baby who was in a stroller,and more. My favorite character is Dopey because when he barks it means that something is out of place.
Dopey reminds me of myself. I can relate to him because I also react when something is out of place. The only difference is instead of barking,I speak my mind. I have a connection that's a text to text: When our class read a book called "Escaping the Giant Wave," Pansy (Norm and Josie's pet) warned Bee Bee and Kyle that another wave was coming, just like Dopey warned his friend that a baby was in a car by himself.
I liked the book because it was about helfpul dogs who became heroes. The book was very interesting and it reminded me of the saying that "Dogs are man's best friend." Any kids who are 8-10 years old and loves dogs will enjoy reading about the adventures of these brave dogs.