Search - The Dog Who Found Christmas

ISBN 0590679848 - I love kids' Christmas books and have been reading piles of them lately. This is the only one that I am so completely torn about that I've put off reviewing it to give it some thought. I'm splitting the difference here and giving it 3 stars, and I'll tell you why.

As a puppy, Buster leaves his mother to go to a new home, where he is cared for and called cute. That changes when, as he grows, he jumps on his owners and chews on their things. They leave him on the side of a road, in the middle of winter, because they don't want him anymore. Buster doesn't understand this and waits for them to return and, when they don't, he begins to wander, looking for someone who will take him in. Eventually, he finds the right someone and a new home.

It sounds like author Linda Jennings has written a touching story, but it isn't quite that simple. Even the back cover blurb is harsh: "Buster's family has thrown him out. They don't want a dog anymore." And the story is pretty harsh, at times, as well, and pretending this is just a great book with no down side is silly. First, his original owners yell at him and literally "pushed him out of the car and left him on the edge of a wide, busy road". No one notices him there and when he ventures into the road, he is nearly run over and he is yelled at, again. He is chased from one house by a huge dog who snaps at his tail. At another house, he is chased off by a cat. Finally, he joins a group of carolers who fail to notice him until they sing at Mr. Merriweather's house and he offers them all cookies, including Buster. That's a LOT of trauma in one short book. It is easy to see why some parents would find it to be something they wouldn't want for their own child.

On the other hand, the "cold, cruel world" thing is fairly accurate and Buster is more exposed to oblivious people than outright mean ones. The territorial animals can't really be faulted for acting like territorial animals. And kids - those small people who love 101 Dalmatians, where a lady plans to make a coat out of some dogs - will not only survive hearing this tale, they'll enjoy it. The illustrations, by Catherine Walters, are a bit dark (the brightest one is the cover), but it's night time! They're a little spooky, but the world is spooky to Buster, so it's fitting. The final two images, where Buster has found a new home, are quite differently "lit" than the others. The details, in all of them, are great.

If nothing else, this book would make a great conversation starter about getting a puppy, knowing that it will grow into a dog but also realizing that pet adoption should be a lifetime commitment, not to be taken lightly. It's also a good chance to talk about how people should treat animals, in general. For that opportunity alone, the book is worth picking up. If your kid made it through Cruella DeVille, your kid will make it through this one, but it really is a matter of personal parenting choice.

- AnnaLovesBooks

Touching story of a puppy abandoned on the side of a road and how he found a new home on Christmas Day. Lovely illustrations.