Customer Reviews

The Stray Dog: From a True Story by Reiko Sassa

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One Saturday a very nice family of four go to the park for a picnic and find a straggly stray pup. They name him Willy and spend the day playing with him. When it's time to pack up and go, the children want to take Willy home with them, but their parents tell them no, Willy probably belongs to someone else and they sadly leave him behind. The next week is excruciatingly long and whole family spends it thinking about Willy. When Saturday comes, they go back to the park on the pretense of another picnic, but are really hoping to find Willy. Just when they think they'll never see him again, he appears, in the dog catcher's net. Happily, the family claims him...Willy's found a new home and they've found a new pet..... Award winner, Marc Simont has written a lovely, gentle, true to life story that will capture your family's heart. His simple and straighforward text is only outdone by his very detailed and expressive artwork. While looking at these illustrations, youngsters will actually feel the joy of finding this little furry friend, sense the sadness of leaving him behind and worry, right along with the family, about his welfare. This is a terrific picture book, perfect for kids aged 3-7, your entire family can share and a wonderful addition to all home libraries.

I have a young daughter, and this is our most favorite book! It is a sweet, brief, gentle story that reminds me of the picture books I read as a child, and I am so thrilled to see that it just won a Caldecott Honor! The artwork is some of the most beautiful art I have ever seen in a children's book, and the story of two children who adopt a frightened little dog is just what I want to be sharing with my child in these troubled times. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

There is nothing more rewarding than to find a family pet, in particular a stray who is in dire need of a home. Thus, Marc Simont has retold an actual account of a family which has done just that, found a scruffy little mutt. In the simplicity of his retelling and illustrations, Mr. Simont has captured the essence of the love for a pet within a family structure. Beware of this heartwarming tale; you may end up at the pound filling out adoption papers! Marc Simont has been involved with children's literature for over sixty years. His accolades include two Caldecott Medals (one an Honor) and the 1997 Illustrator of the Year by the Professional Association of Illustrators.

An animal lover's delight-a stray dog finds a loving family and a home. People of all ages will enjoy this heartwarming story of this precious little dog, Willy and very charming illustrations-a great gift for anyone. Truly touching, with humor and a tear.

Anyone with a soft spot for animals will love this colorful picture book about a charming stray dog and the family that can't get him off their minds even after they leave him to fend for himself in a park.

Of course they go back to the park to look for him, and they find him just in the nick of time. I love the way the quick-thinking boy and girl fashion a collar and leash for the dog out of their own clothing, claiming him as their own before the nasty dogcatcher can nab him. My heart is doing happy little flips just thinking about it!

This lovely book, a true story, spans several age groups--2 year olds can respond to pictures of the puppy, the family, the picnic, while older kids can relate to missing the dog during the week and the children's successful effort to claim him as their own. The author uses simple enough language for beginning readers without being simplistic, accompanied by excellent color illustrations. The Caldecott prize is well-deserved.

I bought this book in a paperback version at a book fair. I heard good things about it and I like Marc Simont's illustrations in other books. I picked it up because it is a Caldecott Honor Book. It turns out to be a beautiful story that everyone in the family will enjoy. It is based on a true story but depicted in a way that children can understand the storyline easily. It shows children that fall in love with a stray and the parents tell the kids that the dog must belong to someone else. Eventually, everyone in the family is thinking about the dog and what happened with him. At the end of the week, they return to find the dog running from the dog catcher. I am not sure if children are familiar with dog catchers but it can lead into a discussion. It shows that the family is willing to take on the responsibility of loving a stray. It shows empathy to animals and caring by kids. Children need to learn love animals but to be careful of stray animals. However, children will be moved by this sweet story and cheer for the dog! I definitely recommend it!

My children(ages 6,4,2) and I love this book. It has a lovely little story with a very nice message. Any parent or child who loves animals, especially dogs, will love this story. The illustrations are lovely too. Highly recommended for children aged 2-8.

There are certain books that I hope my 3-year-old will pick out for me to read to her. You know the type; you move them to her eye level and hope that the power of suggestion works. This is one of those books.

The illustrations are so beautiful, I wish I could find the original galleys for the book and frame them. The story is everything that's good in the world: compassionate children, understanding parents and (of course) happy dogs.

There was an earlier reviewer who was appalled the story didn't have the parents bring the dog to the SPCA to go through the proper channels for adoption. A nice thought, but I used to volunteer at an animal shelter and I have news for you: If people didn't rescue strays, shelters would be more overcrowded than they are now. The way of the world is 100 abandoned animals come into a shelter for every 1 that is reunited with an owner. With that in mind, "The Stray Dog" is even more touching.

My children love this story. We sit and watch the wonderful story unfold from this sad lonely little puppy. We love it. The graphics are wonderful. It has a very real life feeling to it. We have just lost our dog Bear to old age. He played ball like the too. We have two other dogs that look alot like the one in this book. (minus the spots) It makes us cry when we read it. We love this book.