Mutt Dog! - Hardcover

STEPHEN MICHAEL KING has written and illustrated many books for children, including his award-winning The Man Who Loved Boxes. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

PreSchool-Grade 2–Every night a little stray searches for a new place to sleep, until one evening he follows a bag lady to a shelter and befriends one of the workers. The woman takes him home and now he knows where he belongs. Although not a particularly original theme, the presentation is well done, and the gentle pen-and-ink and watercolor cartoons tell the story beautifully. Mutt Dog is a scruffy-looking creature, and on one delightful spread he is pictured in many humorous poses as the family tries to find a name for him. Compassion shines through in the illustrations, which include several appearances in the background of homeless people walking on the street in the rain and going through trash. The book's oversize format and clear wash illustrations on white backgrounds make this a good choice for storytimes.–Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA (School Library Journal )

PreS-Gr. 2. City dweller Mutt Dog is brave, fast, and smart, but he is also hungry and lonely. When he happens upon a shelter for homeless humans, he finds food, companionship, and a shelter employee who takes him home. King's pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations exude a friendly, hopeful feeling, even at the beginning of the story when Mutt is scrounging for food in trash bins and seeking comfort under park benches. By the story's end, Mutt Dog is clean, brushed, well fed, and happy, but his adoptive family has wisely allowed him to remain himself--a mutt. A great choice for story hours; pair it with Bob Graham's Let's Get a Pup! Said Kate (2001) for another Australian tale of canine adoption, or Marc Simont's tender story The Stray Dog (2000). (Booklist - Kay Weisman )