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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Jefferson Public Library | P KING, S. | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | ANIMALS KING | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Mutt Dog is brave and fast and gentle and loyal and smart, but he's also hungry, and he doesn't have a home. Then one day his luck changes, and he at last finds a family--and a cozy, loving place to belong.
With its humorous text and irresistible watercolor illustrations, this endearing story by Australian picture-book creator Stephen Michael King is certain to strike a chord with animal enthusiasts everywhere.
Author Notes
Stephen Michael King won an Honour Book at the 2015 Children's Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards with his illustrations for the title Scary Night. He also won a Speech Pathology Australia 2015 Book of the Year Award in the Birth to three years category with his title Snail and Turtle are Friends.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 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 (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Homeless but not helpless, a two-toned, scruffy dog lives his life on the streets of a big city. Nameless for most of the book, this self-reliant canine "had to be brave, and fast, and smart... just to survive." Vignettes show the cute brown-and-white pooch scrounging through garbage cans, barking to scare off dive-bombing birds and making a getaway with a loaf of French bread. Australian author King (The Man Who Loved Boxes) also does not shy away from illustrating people without roofs over their heads (e.g., a spread portrays the wandering mutt encountering a child and her grandfather bundled beneath a shadowy stairwell, others sleep on park benches or in cardboard boxes). Braving a blustery night, the dog follows an elderly bag lady into a shelter, where he meets a kind worker who will later give him a home. King's ink-and-watercolor illustrations maintain a lighter tone with their cartoonish look, even as they depict a hardscrabble side of life. Once adopted, Mutt Dog, as he's later called, basks and thrives in his new surroundings. This gentle yet realistic introduction to the topic of homelessness-via an endearing, shaggy dog-will get readers of all ages thinking. And while the subject may be disconcerting, the message is reassuring: that there is a place for everyone. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
In a city of contrasts filled with fancy cars and pampered dogs, a scruffy mutt struggles just to survive. One evening he sneaks into a homeless shelter, and eventually the woman who works there takes pity on him and adopts him. The energetic illustrations use somber blue tones in this tender story of survival and kindness. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A scruffy little street mutt finds a home in this small, sweet tale. Seeking refuge from the streets, he finds a homeless shelter where a sympathetic lady falls in love and takes him home. The story is told in short declarative sentences that bridge themselves from page to page with ellipses, creating a smooth flow that never allows the reader to doubt the eventual happy ending. King's signature line-and-watercolor illustrations portray a wiry gray-and-white mutt with a winsomely rounded snout--the only real mystery here is why no one picked him up before the shelter lady. Full-bleed spreads share space with vignettes that move the dog through the story in a pace that perfectly matches the text. That Mutt Dog and his family are thoroughly happy together is evident in every joyful line, from his ears flapping up with delight at the sight of a can of dog food to an intimate scene of the lady reading to Mutt Dog and her daughter in bed at night. If it lacks the mastery of Marc Simont's The Stray Dog (2001), it is still nicely satisfying in its own right. (Picture book. 3-7) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
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 Kate0 (2001) for another Australian tale of canine adoption, or Marc Simont's tender story The Stray Dog0 (2000). --Kay Weisman Copyright 2005 Booklist