Pole Dog [Hardcover]

Tres Seymour (Author), David Soman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 3 and up

A dog is abandoned on a roadside near a telephone pole. His owner drives away; the dog waits, expectant. But his owner does not return. He's hungry. What will he eat? Garbage. But he mustn't stray too far from the pole. It's cold; he's muddy, wet. Finally, a family in a red car comes by and takes Pole Dog home with them. Pole Dog's story--in rhythmic "dog talk"--will touch children and adults. Full color.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

For his first picture book, the author of Life in the Desert offers an unusually poignant story about a dog abandoned near a telephone pole along the highway--"Old dog, old dog, / Left by the pole dog." Waiting for his owners to return, the forlorn mutt endures rain, cold, hunger and even gun shots--"Won't they come for their old dog?" Seymour writes in an easily iterative, unassuming style; his minimal narrative makes a most affecting case for the humane treatment of animals. (The upbeat ending will no doubt mitigate any potentially disturbing effects on impressionable youngsters.) A final note indicates that not all strays are as fortunate as this pooch, and recommends contacting the local Humane Society if a lost animal is encountered. Soman ( The Leaving Morning ; When I Am Old with You ) varies his customary style here with impressionistic pastel drawings that focus directly on the dog. Each page is colorfully filled inside a pale yellow frame, as the audience proceeds from a bleak opening scene to the sunny, heartwarming final spread. Ages 3-6. (Mar.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- This short piece presents a sensitive, but ultimately unrealistic picture of the way to deal with a stray animal. Written in short, catchy, easy-to-read verse, it shows what might happen to an unwanted pet that is set free. Released from a pickup truck, an old dog sits by the roadside waiting for his owner's return. Leaving only to rout around a dump for scraps and chase a hen (until he is warned away), he shelters from a rainstorm in a nearby sewer pipe. Soman's illustrations show a relatively healthy looking, none-too-bedraggled animal that watches a red car pass by several times before it stops. Out piles a clean-cut family of four, dog biscuits in hand, to rescue the old canine, the children running to hug him while their parents stand smiling in the background. A short epilogue warns of the difficulty a pet dog or cat would have surviving independently and suggests that strays be reported to the Humane Society or animal shelter. The warmth of the handsome, realistic, full-page pastel drawings is what makes this book (especially the ending) so appealing. Contrary to the advice offered in the epilogue, however, the story implies that it's O.K. to play with an unfamiliar animal. Let parents (and collection specialists) beware! --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 3 and up
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Orchard Books (March 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531054705
• ISBN-13: 978-0531054703
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,748,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you can find it, buy it!, January 15, 2000

By 

"catpoor" (Moorestown, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pole Dog (Hardcover)

This is one of the best stories ever written on the plight of abandoned animals. It is told in such a way as to let us glimpse into the mind and feelings of the poor dog. It's also a great way to demonstrate how effective simple rhyming verse can be when it is well written. I read this to my students every year as part of a public service project to support local animal shelters. It never fails to strike a nerve, even in "cynical middle schoolers". I get teary eyed even thinking about this sweet book. Buy it if you can find it.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Depressing and Preachy, October 3, 2002

By 

Lisa J. Wysocki (Chelmsford, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pole Dog (Hardcover)

The illustrations are beautiful and the cause is noble, but unless you feel like explaining to your young child why people are shooting guns at poor pole dog, or why pole dog is eating garbage I would pass this one by. It may work for older children, but it's definitely rated PG.