dogs

Hachiko

Sophie Rosen , ,

Turner, Pamela S. Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 2004.
Do animals feel emotions? Anyone who has ever lived with a dog knows that they feel many emotions: fear, joy, loneliness…. And of course, loyalty. This short story, presented as a picture book illustrated by the award-winning Yan Nascimbene, describes the history behind a statue at a famous Tokyo train station. While the main character – a young boy – has been invented, the story of Hachiko – a dog who for almost ten years faithfully went to the station every day, hoping to once again meet his master who had died – is true. This touching story set in the 1920s is appended with two pages of historical information and is recommended for dog lovers of all ages.

More stories set in Japan

More dog stories

More stories set in the past

Books about animal intelligence

Lost

Sophie Rosen , , , , , ,

Usher, Sam. Lost. Somerville, Massachusetts: Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2022, ©2021.
A new day brings new adventures despite the miserably cold weather. A little boy trots along with his grandfather and ends up on a grand journey through a snowstorm to find a lost dog. The combination of narration and conversation, the full-page expressive illustrations, the size and style of the font, the placement of sentences on the pages, the zany adventure, and the little bit of wisdom at the end all combine to create another brilliant picture book by Sam Usher. Highly recommended as a read-aloud for ages 4 to 9.

Another picture book by Sam Usher

More books about grandparents

More books set in winter

Forever Home

Sophie Rosen , ,

Cole, Henry. Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2022.
A forlorn little dog is left behind when its owners move. A sad little boy longs to have a dog. The two meet and find happiness in this wordless picture book by an award-winning author. The feelings of longing and love are enhanced by a red leash and collar, the only spots of colour in the finely detailed black and white drawings. 
The little boy in this story lives with two dads. Some readers may object, saying it normalizes what they believe is wrong. Others may rejoice, saying that at last same sex couples are becoming normalized. I think that the relationship is not important to the central idea of the story: adopting a homeless animal brings love to life! Highly recommended for anyone who has longed for a pet (and would-be artists who admire black and white drawings).

More dog stories 

More stories without words

More picture books for artists

 

Every Dog in the Neighborhood

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Stead, Philip C. Every Dog in the Neighborhood. New York: Holiday House, 2022.
If you like picture books, you probably already know that Philip Stead is a wonderful writer. If you’ve studied picture books, you already know that illustrations provide additional information to enhance the story. If you’re a teacher, you already like books that can be integrated into more than one subject. Well, this newest story by Stead is his most brilliant book yet. It’s as funny and heart-warming as the Moffat stories by Estes. Caldecott Medal winner Matthew Cordell’s illustrations are full of humorous details including a dog called E.B. who dreams of writing stories and a musician who owns two dogs called Thelonious and Monk. Younger students will be inspired to write their own letters and think of their own surveys to do after reading about Louis’s inventory of dogs. Older students will enjoy seeing how writers incorporate intriguing allusions requiring background knowledge to understand. Adults will appreciate Grandma’s complaints about city hall and how you sometimes just have to take care of things yourself. Highly recommended for everyone who likes picture books.

More dog stories

More great picture books

I’d Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog

Sophie Rosen , , ,

Stead, Philip. I’d Like to be the Window for a Wise Old Dog. New York: Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2022.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be someone else? Be something else?  What would it be like to bring joy to someone else? Bring safety to someone else? Not for fame but simply out of love. This wonderfully imaginative picture book is an extraordinary example of other-centredness. You can find endless lesson plans on empathy. Instead, read this book aloud. Then start a conversation.

What makes a picture book outstanding? Learn about critiquing a book HERE.

Read more outstanding picture books!

Everything by Philip Stead is lovely: encouraging, hopeful, and life-affirming. Read these books, too…

The Rough Patch

Sophie Rosen , , , , ,

Lies, Brian. The Rough Patch. New York: Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2018.
Everything is wonderful. Until it isn’t. Evan’s best friend – his dog – dies. And life becomes dark and angry. Until, in autumn, Evan takes a pumpkin from his garden and goes to the town fair. He sees some friends, wins a prize, and goes home with a new puppy. A story of loss and grief but also hope. A perfect picture book, told not only with words but also with illustrations. A 2019 Caldecott Honor Book. Recommended for readers 5 to 11 years old. 

More stories of grief

More stories about dogs

More stories about gardens

 

Dog Stories

Sophie Rosen ,

My Dog Beerus
by Bhavneek

Beerus was a great and affectionate dog.  He was born on April 16, 2014 and was my brother’s dog but he shared him with me. I loved Beerus.

Beerus – a black and brown German shepherd cross – could do many tricks. Whenever I said, “paw,” he would put his paw in my hand and I’d give him a treat. A dog bone. Whenever I came from school, he jumped high to lick me. Whenever we tried to cut his nails, he always pretended to be dying. 

Beerus did not like having a bath. Whenever we wanted to wash him, he would hide under a bed. He wanted to stay dirty. I felt sorry that he was so afraid of water.

Beerus did not like sharing territory. Whenever we went for a walk together, he would pee on every bush we passed. I always wondered why he had to pee all the time.

Beerus was the best dog in the world. But sadly, we had to put him down. His liver was failing due to old age. He died on October 19, 2020. I still miss him. 

More Dog Stories

“I loved my friend
He went away from me.
There’s nothing more to say.
The poem ends,
Soft as it began-
I loved my friend.” – Langston Hughes