Quill and Quire

REVIEWS

« Back to
Book Reviews

Sally Dog Little

by Bill Richardson, Céline Malépart, illus.

Dogs that bark for mysterious reasons may be getting the short end of the stick, at least if the story of Sally Dog Little is a reliable guide. The canine heroine of this tale is adopted by the Littles, a formal family, on three conditions: she must accompany Mrs. Little on her walks, sleep on the child Twinkle’s bed, and bark only if burglars come into the house. All goes well for a while, until a ghost pirate and his dog float in through the living room walls, and the intruders are visible only to the barking dog. After being threatened with eviction for her apparently random alarms, Sally Dog Little realizes that she’ll have to convince the pirates to leave and, to this end, she agrees to help them complete their quest in the back garden.

This is the first picture book by Vancouver-based author and broadcaster Bill Richardson who, on his CBC radio show, once likened his own two dogs to a pair of fierce bedroom slippers. The narrative sustains a pleasing rhythm, part of which comes from a three-part pattern reminiscent of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears.” The story is also leavened by subtle humour so that the theme – an exhortation to stay open to the unconventional and the unseen – materializes as effortlessly as the pirates in the Littles’ home.

The watercolour illustrations, by Montreal-based artist Céline Malépart, are right in synch with the humour in the text. Their warm tones and funky cartoon style are likely to encourage identification with the dog and child and, ultimately, the story’s challenge to rigid formality.

 

Reviewer: Bridget Donald

Publisher: Annick Press

DETAILS

Price: $17.95

Page Count: 24 pp

Format: Cloth

ISBN: 1-55037-759-0

Released: Sept.

Issue Date: 2002-9

Categories: Picture Books

Age Range: ages 4-7