A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney [Hardcover]

Irene Kelly (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

From 1889-1897 a small dog captured the public's imagination - Owney, a stray who wandered into an Albany, NY Post Office. Owney became a world traveller, at first accompanying mailbags around the United States and then setting sail around the globe. His travels were followed by newspapers in many countries. His irresistible spirit won hearts wherever he went. In fictional letters, newspaper accounts, and lively watercolour paintings, Irene Kelly tells the colourful story of an irresistible celebrity.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4–In 1889, a winsome stray wandered into a post office in Albany, NY, where he was quickly adopted by the staff. His intrepid spirit soon led him to jump aboard the mail cars of various trains and travel to post offices all over the country, where clerks gave him tags to commemorate his visits. His adventures captured the public's imagination and, in 1895, he made a trip around the world as the official mascot of the U.S. Postal Service. Kelly tells Owney's story through fictional letters written by people who may have encountered the dog along his journey. In most cases, the voices are lively and distinctive, although they suffer at times from the necessity of stilted explanations, and some of the typefaces are difficult to read. The two maps included are fairly useful, but the one depicting Owney's U.S. travels lacks a key. The watercolor illustrations are serviceable, but facial expressions (both canine and human) are disappointingly bland and uniform. An author's note ties the story together, separates fact from fiction, and reveals the slightly disturbing details of Owney's demise. Overall, this is an effective treatment of a tale that's strange but true. Young dog lovers will be fascinated.–Rachael Vilmar, Atlanta Fulton Public Library, GA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. From the time the scruffy dog strayed into the post office of Albany, New York, in 1889, Owney became the office mascot. For seven years he rode the mail trains he loved, traveling about 143,000 miles across the U.S and collecting more than 1,000 commemorative mail tags from the clerks. He even boarded a steamship for a voyage to the Far East and Egypt. Now those mail tags are part of a special exhibit at the National Postal Museum, which also includes a taxidermist's model of Owney. In fictionalized letters and newspaper accounts, illustrated by lively watercolor paintings, Kelly recounts the story of the dog who traveled the world and returned each time to cozy welcome in the post office. The lively pictures evoke both the daring adventure and the warm story about those who loved the mutt with strong, spindly legs and "a straggly, but waggly, tail." Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House (March 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823418634
• ISBN-13: 978-0823418633
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 10.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #290,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Irene Kelly is an author and illustrator. Her books have received numerous awards, including two John Burroughs awards and a Children's Choice award. Her nature books for children have been sited as "proof that science nonfiction can be accurate, factual and completely engrossing" (Kirkus). Reviewers have called her work exquisite, informative, entertaining, delightful, and intriguing. Learn more about Irene by visiting her website: www.irenekellybooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Art for Kids, September 7, 2005

By 

Book Lover "Book Lover" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney (Hardcover)

In addition to a wonderful, exuberant story that has a strong educational component, this lovely book has illustrations that are compositionally strong. As in her other works, Ms. Kelly does not water down her art when creating for children. The expressive use of color and design provide an experience far beyond the usual cartoon-like children's illustrations! Clearly an artist in her own right, Ms. Kelly has a gift for fusing material which is at a child's level with lovely small "paintings" which glow and resonate thorughout her work.
My kids and I all love this new story as well as her earlier books!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Small Dog's Big Life is a book for the whole family!, August 15, 2005

By 

Book Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney (Hardcover)

I bought A Small Dog's Big Life for my daughter, but I loved reading it as much as she did. Ms. Kelly wrties a story about a fascinating dog and his adventures, and illustrates it with whimiscal, yet beautiful watercolors.

Owney is a lovable character, and children will enjoy reading about his travels. After finishing the book, a young reader will also have learned a great deal about geography and 19th century life.

I highly recommend this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo, August 15, 2005

By 

D Lipatti - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my nephew because, browsing through it , I was struck by the beauty and whimsey of the illustrations. I was unprepared for his reaction. He was enthralled with the way the story unfolded through the fictionalized correspondences and was carried away with the spirit of adventure so thrillingly conveyed. I have ordered this author's book on Hummingbirds and must commend her on her inspired artwork.