Not+Afraid+of+Dogs



**Bibliographic Data:**  Reading level: Ages 4-8  Hardcover: 32 pages  Publisher: Walker Children’s (May 16, 2006)  Language: English  ISBN-10: 0802780679  ISBN-13: 978-0802780676

**Author Biography:**  I chose to review the children’s book, “Not Afraid of Dogs” written by Susanna Pitzer and illustrated by Larry Day. Susanna Pitzer was born and raised in Kansas. She grew up on a farm and her father was a veterinarian. Because of these factors, Pitzer was always surrounded by a variety of animals like dogs, cats, pigs, horses, cows, goats, birds, and the list goes on. Many of her books and plays were influenced and inspired by her experiences with animals. Pitzer graduated from Wichita University, and then later went back to school at the University of Kansas to study art and psychology. Afterwards she moved to New York City to study at the School of Visual Art, and she currently resides in New York where she enjoys teaching writing and art workshops to people of all ages.

**Summary:**  Pitzer is most famous for her story, “Not Afraid of Dogs.” This book is appropriate for ages four and up, specifically pre-kindergarten through grade three. The main character, Daniel, claims to be “the bravest boy of all,” however he seems to have a fear of dogs, even though he claims “I just don’t like them!” (6). In the beginning of the story, Daniel avoids dogs at all costs, until one day he comes home to find his Aunt Rose’s dog, Bandit, in his living room. Aunt Rose had to go on a trip, so Bandit will be living with Daniel and his family for a few days. He protests to his mother that he doesn’t like dogs, and his sister points out that he is, in fact, //afraid// of dogs. Daniel does his best to avoid Bandit, but one night there is a big thunderstorm. Daniel wakes up to use the bathroom and finds Bandit hiding behind the toilet, shaking and howling in fear of the storm. Daniel recognizes that the dog is afraid, and even though he is afraid of dogs, he faces his fears and carefully takes Bandit in his arms to comfort her. At the end of the story, Bandit is snuggling with Daniel in his bed, and he declares that he is the bravest boy of all, and he likes dogs.

**Review:**  I selected this book because I love animals, especially dogs. Children who love dogs or are afraid of dogs will be interested in this book. The book has a great message that if children be brave and face their fears; they may be surprised at all the fun and happiness they were missing out on while being stubborn and afraid. Facing fears is a theme that any person can relate to, and can provide opportunities for sharing and gathering courage to do something you’ve been afraid of doing. I like this story because children can relate to the main characters feelings through the words and pictures, and they can see the humor in being afraid of something as innocent as a small dog and observe how the main character is being irrational. It is hard to believe a fear is irrational until you see it from another person’s perspective, like in this story.

**Analysis of Literary Element (Character Development):**  If I read this story to my classroom of first graders, I would teach a mini lesson about character development and conflict resolution. My students and I would work together to create a diagram on the board. We would begin with the introduction or exposition which would include the main character and the general setting of the story. We would then identify the character conflict and/or rising action of this story, which would be that Daniel is afraid of dogs and avoids them everywhere he goes, like on the street, on the playground, or in an elevator. Then to his surprise, he is forced to coexist with his Aunt’s dog, Bandit, while she is away. We would then identify the climax of the story, which would be the night of the thunderstorm when Daniel identifies and empathizes with Bandit and her fear of the storm. The falling action would be when Daniel comforts Bandit and brings her into his bedroom for safety and consolation from the storm. The resolution or “ending” would be that Daniel now likes dogs because of his bonding experience with Bandit. I would recommend this book for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. It is a great book to read to the whole class or for students to read individually. The moral of the story is for students to gain confidence and have support from friends and family to face their specific fears. This a great book to teach character analysis, plot development, and conflict resolution.