Orville: A Dog Story - Hardcover

Kimmel, Haven

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 061815955X ISBN 13: 9780618159550

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2003

Synopsis

A big, ugly dog is happy to meet a farmer and his wife who decide to give him a name and a home, but not so happy when they chain him to the barn. All Orville can do is bark to tell the world how unhappy he is, and the more he barks, the more he is left alone. But everything changes when Sally MacIntosh moves into the little house across the road and Orville falls in love.
A beautifully crafted text that blends wry humor with the poignant twang of a country-and-western song is accompanied by dreamy, spare watercolor-and-ink illustrations for a fresh, original picture book that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lonely or misunderstood.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Andrew Parker is a fine artist and printmaker whose work often appears in publications such as The New Yorker. His numerous children’s books include To Fly: The Story of the Wright Brothers, Across the Blue Pacific: A World War II Story, and Grandfather Tang’s Story. He lives in West Cornwall, Connecticut.
 

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-Orville, an ugly, homeless dog that has just about given up on life, is discovered one morning by a farmer and his wife who decide he will make a good watchdog. After they clean him up, they realize he is bigger and wilder than they thought, so he is chained to the barn and left alone to keep the rats away. He barks to let the world know just how miserable he feels, but the more he barks, the more the farmer stays away. Just when it is decided that Orville must go to the pound, a young woman who works nights in a factory moves into the small house across the road, and Orville falls in love. After watching Sally's comings and goings, he devises a plan, struggles free of his chain, and quietly enters her house while she is sleeping. Finally gaining acceptance, Orville moves in with Sally and finds the perfect home. Poignant and sweet, the narrative reads like a country-and-western song about sorrow and loneliness: "-he would wonder what had ever become of his mother, or the brother he had loved the best. And then it would be time to start barking." Parker's signature watercolor-and-ink illustrations are sketchy and imprecise. He takes liberties with the size and shape of Orville as well as with Sally's living room. The effect is more impressionistic than realistic, but allows the text to shine. Readers who have ever loved a homely pet or felt the pain of being misunderstood will identify with Orville.
Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MN
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 061815955X
• ISBN 13: 9780618159550
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Parker Robert Andrew