Pets: We Love 'Em, They Love Their Toys

Just when you think all the picture books arriving on shelves feature princesses, trucks, or robots of one sort or another, we're reminded that animal books preceded the royalty trend and continue to find a home on our shelves. The appeal of animals is undeniable. Bunnies, llamas, even dragons and dinosaurs will always have their day, but it's the dog and cat books that are dearest to my heart. In fact, if push comes to shove, dogs win the day.

Sometimes favorites among these will jump up and all but lick me in the face, claiming my attention and my affection. That may be due to personal links to the image of a particular breed, the dog's name, or even  the situation depicted.

Image from American Kennel Club

Sleeping Bear Press, 2012

Scottie dogs are certainly adorable, but the closest I ever came to having one is choosing it as my Monopoly marker. The appeal must be widespread, though, since that little fella was in no danger of replacement in the recent poll to create a new Monopoly marker for the game. 
But even more than the breed, I was attracted to the crisp, bright geometric forms on the cover of SCOUT, by Gordon McMillan. The red ball forming the "O" in the title had an even greater appeal. Scout's lost ball leads him from the fifth to the first floor of his apartment building, collecting helpful  friends along the way. He learns what they can do and they learn what a ball can do. Mouse learns the difference between a red-rind cheese and a toy, and they all learn how much fun it can be to meet new friends and share toys. The simple message and colorful abstract forms make this a great choice for many purposes.

Now, back to that red ball.
Any dog who's being treated with an ounce of decency will have a ball, but the four-legged resident in my home has taken that to a whole new level. The red ball on the cover of SCOUT bounced into my visual field and drew me to the book. The same can be said for my furry family member. No matter how many sizes, shapes and colors he has to choose from, the mouth-sized red ball is his go-to favorite.

The stuffed toy collection is a discussion for another day.

On his first Christmas my sheltie received a hard red ball- didn't bounce, wasn't chewy, and could knock a hole in the wall if thrown too hard. (I prefer no questions as to how I know this to be true.) It did, however, flash brightly and make sounds when rolled. It quickly became his favorite (among many choices, as you can see). In future years, as the original red ball lost its high tech hi-jinx  capabilities, he received duplicates. I stopped counting after eight of them and another sometimes turns up behind a couch. To this day he returns to that original gnarly red ball, bringing it to be played with until even he is exhausted.

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013

The dog to whom this next book is dedicated is also called Scout but is certainly not a Scottie, or a sheltie. BALL, written and illustrated by Mary Sullivan, portrays a single-minded focus that I recognized at a glance. Even for those who never had (or have even known) a dog, this nearly wordless book is a winner. One word of text (ball) is repeated forty-four times in various sizes, upper and lower case, with varying punctuation and by different speakers with equally varied visual interpretation. Every nuance contributes intensity and heart to the story. From front to back endpapers and every turn in between, this is a tour de force of characterization, story, and relationships. 

My dog's physical body looks nothing like "Scout" (to whom the book BALL is lovingly dedicated), but he has displayed every one of Scout's expressions, actions, poses, emotions, devotions, hopes, fears, and even dreams. His favorite red ball looks identical to Scout's. 
This book captures the epitome of a dog's nature- 100% open, out there, devoted, and eager for companionship. 
I'd love to see what Sullivan would do with a comparable CAT book.

Schwartz and Wade, 2011

Not surprisingly, It was a red ball that nearly broke the heart of little Daisy in Chris Raschka's Caldecott winning A BALL FOR DAISY in 2011. You can see from the array pictured above that balls for dogs come in approximately 42.7 kazillion colors, shapes, sizes, and textures. Dogs purportedly are colorblind, but I strongly disagree. My anecdotal experience with several dogs over my lifetime is that they most assuredly can see colors, at least to a degree necessary to distinguish "red ball" from "blue ball", even when the balls otherwise appear to be identical. Based on the frequent appearance of red balls in picture books, as a featured presence or even incidentally, I'm confident we can say red balls are the favorite color for dogs throughout the world. 

If you choose to disagree, discuss it with my little friend here.

Any opinions of your own (or your pet's) on the ideal toy?

Dirty Dogs and Cowboys

If you've already read this post, skip to the end for another featured title, last but not least.


Whether you're dealing with summer drought, flooding rains, or typical seasonal conditions (and where would that be in this strange weather cycle?), if you have a dog, it gets dirty. Just how dirty can vary, but dirty dogs need baths.

Most dogs do not like baths. HARRY THE DIRTY DOG, by Gene Zion, pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham, agrees with them. 

There are good reasons why this classic, originally published by Harper Collins in 1956, has been reissued many times and is still in print. It is accessible and appealing for early readers, stands up to repeated reading, and is cute without being cloying.

Most of all, it stars irresistible Harry, the dirty dog.


Harry's personality continues to shine through after half a century. This little pup personifies a protagonist who takes charge of his life, his challenges, and generates his own solutions- while learning from his mistakes.
Here's the plot: Hates baths, hides brush, takes off, gets dirty, goes home, no one recognizes him, digs up brush, gets bathed, happily returns to family life  (and figures out a wiser brush solution).


A simple story, illustrated with lots of white space and  spare lines and color, but each page spills over with action and emotion.

In fact, even though the media and techniques are quite different, Harry reminds me of Daisy, star of A BALL FOR DAISY by Chris Raschka, winner of the 2011 Caldecott Award.

Harry has enough personality to fill several other titles, including HARRY BY THE SEA and

HARRY AND THE LADY NEXT DOOR.

I can't resist contrasting Harry's personality and plot to the storyline, dog, and cowboy in THE DIRTY COWBOY, by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Adam Rex.

This is a cleverly written and illustrated story about a cowboy whose filth level eventually triggers the need for a bath. He instructs his faithful dog to guard his clothes while he bathes in the river, but when he returns for them the dog doesn't recognize him- no trail smells! The ensuing battle for the clothes restores sufficient natural odors to allow recognition, but by then the clothes are ripped to shreds. Boots and hat are his only garb on the trip home.
The intricate language and visual detail combined with the remarkable "fig leaf" artistic strategies to engage and entertain readers of any age. 


For a taste of the lively online debate that raged last spring about this title, search "censor Dirty Cowboy".

• The plot flips Harry's story on its head: The human wants a bath, takes a bath, then is not recognized by his dog without his surface layer of filth and smells. 
• The dog, like Harry, is resourceful and determined, but is as ominous as Harry is adorable. 
• Harry's text is basic and minimal, while Cowboy's text is intricate, colloquial, colorful, and layered with figurative language.
• Illustrations in these two books are polar opposites with the common trait being humor and heart. 
• Harry is an "antique", a classic, but could take place in any family today. Cowboy is a twenty-first century publication depicting life long past.

When it comes to the power of picture books to engage readers, stimulate discussion, and entertain, each of these titles stands strong on its own. When combined for purposes of comparing and contrasting, their power increases exponentially.


And I'm willing to bet that once you read them, you'll never forget the characters or their stories. 

I just got my hands on this  mid-June release by Tatyana Feeney, SMALL BUNNY'S BLUE BLANKET. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2012) For a summary read this Kirkus review. This is not the typical "lost blanket" story, but instead addresses the struggle to recognize a beloved companion when its look, scent, and feel have been washed away.  Small Bunny surely understands the confusion and stress of Harry, Cowboy, and Dog.