101 Dalmatians (Puffin story books) (Paperback)

by Dodie Smith (Author) "NOT long ago, there lived in London a young married couple of Dalmatian dogs named Pongo and Missis Pongo..." (more)
Key Phrases: simple white mink cloak, little blue cart, fifteen puppies, Nanny Butler, Nanny Cook, Hell Hall (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
The Dearlys, a nice London couple, start out with only two, Pongo and Missis, but by the end of the story the other 99 have been discovered and rescued in a thrilling adventure in which Pongo, Missis and their "pets", the Dearlys, play important roles. It all starts when Mrs. Dearly encounters an old school friend, Gruella de Vil, who looks and acts like her name sounds and is dying to make fur coats out of dalmaiian skins. Hence Pongo's and Missis' new brood of 17 puppies is in immediate danger of being stolen. And stolen they are- whisked off to Hell Hall, Cruella's old family estate. Pongo, Missis, a new friend Perdita and the Dearlys give chase, find that even more dalmatians have been hoarded there and in a grand fracas Cruella and her evil schemes are vanquished. A fantasy of delightful horrors bids for a large section of the junior Charles Addams market and ends up bright with Hell Hall becoming a lovely home for the Dearleys and their dalmatians. (Kirkus Reviews)

Two dalmatians go in search of their puppies stolen by the sublimely evil Cruella De Vil. The story needs no introduction and the book is better than both the films it gave birth to. (7 yrs +) (Kirkus UK) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
That daring, hilarious pack of hounds from the classic tale of canine intrigue returns in a beautiful new edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140340343
• ISBN-13: 978-0140340341
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #37,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first and still the best, August 26, 2003

By	Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

The live-action Disney version of this book was the pits. The animated version wasn't bad at all (I own it). But the book is better than either of them. And, like all the best kids' books, this one, though written for 8-14's, can still be enjoyed when you're way past childhood.

Disney necessarily simplified the story and characters for his movie versions, cutting out a lot of the subtle characterization and background that makes the book seem so completely plausible. Here, instead of "Roger and Anita," we have "the Dearlys," a businessman and his bride, who are "owned" by Pongo and--not Perdita, but "Missis"--and have not one "Nanny" but two, "Nanny Cook" (a real cook) and "Nanny Butler" (a real butler). We learn of Cruella deVil's sinister family history, her furrier husband (never mentioned in the films), and her obsession with furs. We learn that her employees, the Baddun Brothers, dream of appearing on "What's My Crime?" Many of the Pongos' pups--Lucky, Patch, Cadpig, Roly--are fleshed out as they never were on the screen. The sheepdog Colonel is less of a buffoon and more a shrewd strategist. The drama of the puppies' births and early lives is much better portrayed, as is the journey of Pongo and Missis to Suffolk to rescue their stolen family, with introductions to the dogs that help them on their way--the hospitable Golden Retriever, the aged Spaniel and his "pet," 90-year-old Sir Charles, the flighty Irish Setter whose efforts come to naught through a fire, and the tough Staffordshire who occupies the moving van the Dalmatians board to shorten their homeward trip. Cruella's white Persian cat is here too--a clever animal "biding her time" as she waits for the opportunity to settle the score for her drowned litters--and so is the sheepdog's "pet," two-year-old Tommy Tompkins, who lends his toy hay-cart to the army of London-bound dogs. Yet despite a certain anthropomorphization, all the animals are recognizably animals; they behave as such and don't do anything you couldn't visualize such creatures doing. The humor is much more subtle than in the films, no doubt reflecting Smith's British personality. There are episodes like the brief rest in a country church and the Dalmatians' revenge against Cruella that would have made great theater. I still enjoy the animated version, but I keep coming back to the book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the movie, August 12, 2005

By	...Loggie... "Loggie-log-log-log" (I live on the earth, in the western hemisphere, in North America, in the country of the United States of America, in Illinois in the town of Champaign) - See all my reviews

This book is wonderful. When Disney changed it into a movie, the story lost many of its special touches, and the story was no longer told so much as shown from the dog's perspective.

The main plot of the story is similar to that of Disney's animated movie, but contains many small differences, and more detail. These differences are what make the book as good as it is. In the book, right after Pongo and his wife Missus Pongo have their 15 puppies, everyone is worried about how one dog will feed 15 puppies without losing strength. The solution to their problem comes in the form of a stray Dalmatian, found on the side of the road, whom they name Perdita. Perdita has a history of her own, and her sub-plot is one of the many things that add depth to the story, but were lost in the movie.

The story is told, continuously, from a dog's point of view. It is mentioned how humans believe that they own dogs; whereas the truth is that the dogs own them. Pongo and Missus continually refer to their humans as their pets, and one can see that mentality in their conversations. All the dogs in the story seem to enjoy doting on their humans. Another interesting quirk is how the dogs are `married'. Pongo continually refers to Missus as his wife, and she calls him husband. A dog's marriage ceremony does not seem to take very long, or require a priest or government official. Two willing dogs can run off into the forest, and when they come back, be married. Puppies will most likely come soon after.

Throughout the book are scattered illustrations. These pictures are done in black, white, and shades of grey, and look like well-shade pencil drawings. They are beautiful, and very life-like.

A wonderful book, it is much better than Disney's movie. Full of fun tales, even in the midst of the puppies flight from Cruella's house.

Loggie-log-log-log

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A review for the parents, with some dog advice, November 6, 2006

By	Lilly Flora "by Lilo Drandoff" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I won my tattered, dog eared, Disyned-fied copy of "100 Dalmatians" in a school auction when I was 7 years old. I learned to read late because I'm dyslexic (hence any bad spelling you may notice) so this was the first real chapter book that I ever owned and the very first I read.

It was great. This is a fabulous novel for all ages but especially for kids. I'm not going to re-hash the plot because I think the whole world knows it by now. The themes of good parenting, loyalty, and of course, good, intelligent, kind dogs are things that every child should learn. It is true that this book contains some talk of puppy killing, which didn't disturb me, and I'm guessing that today's 7 year olds wouldn't be scared by it either.

Another reason to read, or let your child read this book is that it will encourage a love of dogs, and having grown up with dogs every minute of my life, I can tell you having one (or more) helps immensely in all kinds of situations, social and otherwise. It provides an example of love and loyalty, as well as the responsibility involved in feeding and caring for a dog. However on that note Dalmatians, contrary to the lovable Pongo, Missus and Perdita in this book, do not make good dogs for children. They don't have the temperament for it. If you read this book and decide to get a dog for your child (an excellent idea) I recommend a good old fashioned mutt (they're smarter because they're not inbred) or a border collie, which can actually be trained to be nannies for children because of their sheep herding instincts.

Anyway, five stars. Great for the whole family, and an excellent way to encourage reading in a child of any age. At 18 years old I still love reading this book. And the sequel, "The Twilight Barking" isn't half bad either.