The+Stray+Dog

Bibliographical Data:
Age Range: 4 - 8 years Grade Level: Preschool - 3 Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: HarperCollins; Reprint edition (May 27, 2003) Language: English ISBN-10: 0064436691

Summary of Book:
This story is about a family who goes on picnic at the park in the city. While on their picnic, they find a stray dog, with no identification. The brother and sister decide to play with him and name him Willy. They want to take it home, but their parents say no. About a week later the family is back at the park and see the stray dog getting chased by the dog warden. The kid stop the warden and tell them that the dog is theirs. They end up keeping the dog and bringing him home.

Review of the Book:
This book is very relatable for children in a sense that most love dogs and at a point in their life want their parents to buy them one. The dog is a very friendly animal and wants nothing more than to be loved by a family. This dog is in the underdog role being a stray and all. Most think he has no chance with a family, especially the warden who tries to capture him. Luckily the children of the family come and rescue him. This is a very heartwarming moment in the book and it shows people doing the "right" thing and being good citizens. The illustrations in the book a very well down. They do a great job filling in the gaps and answering questions that go along with the story. They show the families car, what each member looked like, what they ate on their picnic. The illustrations are simple yet very detailed.

Author Bio:
Marc Simont (November 23, 1915 – July 13, 2013) was a Paris-born American artist, political cartoonist, and illustrator of more than a hundred children's books. Inspired by his father, Spanish painter Joseph Simont, he began drawing at an early age. Simont settled in New York City in 1935 after encouragement from his father, attended the New York National School of Design, and served three years in the military.

Analysis of Literary Element:
The Stray Dog focuses on love, kindness, and compassion. We see a stray dog who is nothing but happy to play with a family of strangers. He is very loving towards them as is the family to him. Simont does a wonderful job with the showing us the them which is kindness and comparison. The kids in the family are very kind a loving towards this stray dog and want to immediately bring him home. Throughout the book the parents put their foot down saying they could not keep him. "Let's take Willy home," said the children. "No," said the father. "He must belong to somebody," explained the mother, "and they would miss him." They wait a week and come back to the same spot, only to see the same stray getting chased down by the warden. The parents give in and let the kids keep the dog. The children love and care for him and bring him to the dog park to meet the other dogs. This book is a great picture book with simply text for beginning readers. The illustrations are really exquisite and tell the story with out even having to read the book, which makes this a great book for preschoolers as well.

Related Links:
http://www.amazon.com/Stray-Dog-Marc-Simont/dp/0064436691