Pole Dog

Seymour, Tres

ISBN 10: 0531086208 ISBN 13: 9780531086209

Publisher: Orchard Books, 1993

Synopsis

An old dog is left by a telephone pole and waits and waits for someone to care for him

About this title

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 1-- This short piece presents a sensitive, but ultimately unrealistic picture of the way to deal with a stray animal. Written in short, catchy, easy-to-read verse, it shows what might happen to an unwanted pet that is set free. Released from a pickup truck, an old dog sits by the roadside waiting for his owner's return. Leaving only to rout around a dump for scraps and chase a hen (until he is warned away), he shelters from a rainstorm in a nearby sewer pipe. Soman's illustrations show a relatively healthy looking, none-too-bedraggled animal that watches a red car pass by several times before it stops. Out piles a clean-cut family of four, dog biscuits in hand, to rescue the old canine, the children running to hug him while their parents stand smiling in the background. A short epilogue warns of the difficulty a pet dog or cat would have surviving independently and suggests that strays be reported to the Humane Society or animal shelter. The warmth of the handsome, realistic, full-page pastel drawings is what makes this book (especially the ending) so appealing. Contrary to the advice offered in the epilogue, however, the story implies that it's O.K. to play with an unfamiliar animal. Let parents (and collection specialists) beware! --Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

For his first picture book, the author of Life in the Desert offers an unusually poignant story about a dog abandoned near a telephone pole along the highway--"Old dog, old dog, / Left by the pole dog." Waiting for his owners to return, the forlorn mutt endures rain, cold, hunger and even gun shots--"Won't they come for their old dog?" Seymour writes in an easily iterative, unassuming style; his minimal narrative makes a most affecting case for the humane treatment of animals. (The upbeat ending will no doubt mitigate any potentially disturbing effects on impressionable youngsters.) A final note indicates that not all strays are as fortunate as this pooch, and recommends contacting the local Humane Society if a lost animal is encountered. Soman ( The Leaving Morning ; When I Am Old with You ) varies his customary style here with impressionistic pastel drawings that focus directly on the dog. Each page is colorfully filled inside a pale yellow frame, as the audience proceeds from a bleak opening scene to the sunny, heartwarming final spread. Ages 3-6. (Mar.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0531086208
• ISBN 13: 9780531086209
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 1
• Illustrator: Soman David