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11th out of 78 books
—
6 voters
Black Dog
by
Levi Pinfold
An enormous black dog and a very tiny little girl star in this offbeat tale about confronting one’s fears.
When a huge black dog appears outside the Hope family home, each member of the household sees it and hides. Only Small, the youngest Hope, has the courage to face the black dog, who might not be as frightening as everyone else thinks.
When a huge black dog appears outside the Hope family home, each member of the household sees it and hides. Only Small, the youngest Hope, has the courage to face the black dog, who might not be as frightening as everyone else thinks.
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
September 25th 2012
by Templar
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A large black dog appears outside the Hope family house in the woods one snowy morning. Mr. Hope the first to see it is so alarmed that he drops his breakfast (much to the delight of the family cats) on the floor and shouts that he calls the police to tell them that it’s as big as a tiger! Next Mrs. Hope sees it out the window and proclaims it to be the size of an elephant. As the older Hope children awake, the dog gets bigger and bigger until the whole family is cringing under the covers in fea...more
2013 ALSC Notable winners
Pinfold, Levi. Black Dog. Somerville, MA: Templar Books, 2012. Print. 32 p.
The Hope family wakes up to find a big black dog outside their home. The dog seems to grow, as does the fear of it, as each family member sees the dog. Mr. Hope first describes the dog as the size of a tiger, and then lastly it is described as the size of a dinosaur. The whole family learns what courage means when the youngest family member, Small, is brave enough to go outside and run around wit...more
Pinfold, Levi. Black Dog. Somerville, MA: Templar Books, 2012. Print. 32 p.
The Hope family wakes up to find a big black dog outside their home. The dog seems to grow, as does the fear of it, as each family member sees the dog. Mr. Hope first describes the dog as the size of a tiger, and then lastly it is described as the size of a dinosaur. The whole family learns what courage means when the youngest family member, Small, is brave enough to go outside and run around wit...more
Jan 02, 2013
Taylor
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
K - 4, and anyone who struggles with fear or dogs
While reading Levi Pinfold’s Black Dog, what started as a slight smile grew and grew until I was grinning from ear to ear. This book is one of those cherished tomes that feels immediately like a classic, but is wonderfully contemporary. The plot is simple: one by one each member of a family notices a black dog outside their door. Each time a family member notices the beast, he grows and grows until he’s as large as the Victorian house itself! Everyone runs to hide except the littlest member of t...more
I’ve found myself unable to visit my cousin's kids without a picture book gift in hand. It’s too much fun to make the selection, and beside that, I get to read a(nother) book! This is how I discovered Levi Pinfold’s charming Black Dog.
Black Dog opens with a… black dog. A rather large one. The dog is sniffing around the Hope house on a snowy winter morning when Mr. Hope spots it – and is alarmed – the dog is the size of a tiger! As the rest of the family wake up, one by one, their exclamations o...more
Black Dog opens with a… black dog. A rather large one. The dog is sniffing around the Hope house on a snowy winter morning when Mr. Hope spots it – and is alarmed – the dog is the size of a tiger! As the rest of the family wake up, one by one, their exclamations o...more
I saw this one on a card waiting to be shelved the other day and had to pick it up. I really, really liked it. A man wakes up to a "huge" black dog in his yard. He calls the police who don't seem too concnerned about his panic. He decides to hide from the dog as does each consecutive family member who see it as bigger and bigger (and, of course, scarier and scarier). Then comes the youngest who knows just what to do. The story ends with child and big scary dog cuddling by a lit fire. I loved the...more
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This book is one to savor, a whimsical allegory that supports the idea that young people see things more realistically than all the older ones. When the family members look out the window, they see, successively, a larger and scarier black dog, all except the child called Small. She goes out to find the dog, and little by little, she helps the dog create who it really is, a nice black dog. Is this about stereotypes, or prejudice? Or is it just a fantastical story where the littlest saves the re...more
There is a lot to like about this book. The tale (tail?) of friendship and acceptance rather than fear. The engaging rhymes that are part of the text and the absolutely wonderful joke about missing a poetic opportunity. (Seriously, that one line alone might be justification to purchase the book.)And the fact that it's the youngest member of the Hope family that is the only one not scared of the black dog.
There were a few things that struck me as being just a little off, though. The illustration...more
There were a few things that struck me as being just a little off, though. The illustration...more
I love the use of the smaller illustrations of the story surrounding the text vs. the large illustrations on the opposite page. There is a lot to look at on each picture and I can imagine this being an intriguing read aloud one on one....especially with use of the smaller images. However, I just can't get passed the fact that the black dog gets "smaller" at the end of the story...with no real explanation of "why." I think that will leave my students perplexed. I can explain that the family was a...more
Summary:
The Hope family members see a black dog outside of their home. Each family member is scared to death of this dog and exaggerate the size of the dog until it is as big as a T-Rex. It takes the bravery of the youngest family member named Small, to go outside and face the dog. She finds out that the dog is not so big after all and the family is not scared anymore.
Audience:
This book is intended for young, elementary-aged children.
Appeal:
This book has some of the best illustrations that I ha...more
The Hope family members see a black dog outside of their home. Each family member is scared to death of this dog and exaggerate the size of the dog until it is as big as a T-Rex. It takes the bravery of the youngest family member named Small, to go outside and face the dog. She finds out that the dog is not so big after all and the family is not scared anymore.
Audience:
This book is intended for young, elementary-aged children.
Appeal:
This book has some of the best illustrations that I ha...more
When this family wakes up one morning, they are frightened by large black dog outside their home. The appears to them to be bigger than their house. Too terrified to assess or deal with the dog situation, the family cowers inside until the youngest child gets up and tackles the problem head on. The black dog follows her as she runs around the house and through the woods, gradually decreasing in size (as her own fear decreases?). By the time they come back home again, the dog is regular-dog-size...more
Only Small Hope, the littlest member of the Hope family is able to cope with a large black dog that comes to haunt the family's yard in this allegorical picture book. She's intrepid and willing to face things and not blow them out of proportion and so can tame the dog in the end and bring it into the family fold. The drawings have a special charm -- pointy brick house, quirky pjs, small sepia toned pictures that add story details arranged around the text. Not for everyone, but I liked its quirki...more
Four stars for the illustrations. Which are a fantastic mix of Grimm, Bosch, and American Gothic. They really set the mood and make the fear of the big black dog seem very real. Only three stars for the story. It is also fun and I like that Small is the one to go out and face the big dog. But her little song and the subsequent shrinking of the dog did not quite make sense. Being a silly story juxataposed against such beautifully atmospheric illustrations may be the point - but it felt like the a...more
Holy crap, the best illustrations I've seen since I was a little one. I had the same reaction that I remember from being 3 or 4 and reading one of my Childcraft books, with these fantastic illustrations--that I wanted to go into the picture and live with the characters.
The quirky little green octopus who shows up on most pages was a fun touch, as were the little sepia drawings on the lower left corners.
Also loved the little stuffed elephant, which repeats later in the story as a playground slide...more
The quirky little green octopus who shows up on most pages was a fun touch, as were the little sepia drawings on the lower left corners.
Also loved the little stuffed elephant, which repeats later in the story as a playground slide...more
The members of the Hope family each wake up in the morning to see a dog outside the window. With each family member, the dog is described as bigger and bigger. Then Small Hope wakes up and goes outside to see the dog. Se decides the dog is huge, but that she is small a enough to run away from it. As she runs, the dog gets smaller and smaller. They both return home small enough to fit through the cat door. The illustrations st Oxford with greens and grays. As full page picture on one side with te...more
When the Hope family woke up one morning there was a great big black dog outside. Mr. Hope thought it was the size of a tiger and called the police who advised him to just stay inside. Mrs. Hope compared it to an elephant and the family shut the lights off so it wouldn’t know they were there. Adeline woke up and saw a black dog the size of a T-Rex outside the window. She closed the curtains. Maurice woke up and thought it was the size of a Big Jeffy, deciding to stay under the covers. But the li...more
The art is very well done with some unusual perspectives and quirky details, but the whole book feels like something is slightly off. Yes, the story is supposed to feel that way to some degree, but it doesn't settle well. Whether it is the more antiquated pagination (most of the text on one page with smaller images across from full-page illustrations on the other) or the "Oh my goodness" nature of the text, something keeps the story from being as strong as it could be.
This story is about the Hope family and they day they all see a black dog. As each member of this family sees the dog starting with the Dad dog seems to grow as each person sees the dog until the youngest sees the dog and is brave and runs from the giant dog and runs to small places to get the dog to follow. read this book to find out what happens to the dog and to the Hope family.
Pinfold, L. (20122011). Black dog. Somerville, Mass.: Templar Books.
Pinfold, L. (20122011). Black dog. Somerville, Mass.: Templar Books.
A black dog comes by the Hope Family's house. It grows larger and larger with each family member's exclamations and fear. The smallest child in the family "Small Hope" transforms the fearful monster into a regular dog.
There are some really weird details in the illustrations and the characters are just plain funny-looking. Definitely seems to be a book for older children. Teens will enjoy the strange family and the repetition will help language learners follow the tale.
There are some really weird details in the illustrations and the characters are just plain funny-looking. Definitely seems to be a book for older children. Teens will enjoy the strange family and the repetition will help language learners follow the tale.
There's an enormous black dog outside and everyone who sees it decides it will be best to hide. Everyone, that is, except Small, who ventures outside. It seems that Small knows something about this dog that the rest of the family does not. The colors, details, and textures of Pinfold's illustrations are exquisite. Like A House in the Woods, it's bound to be an indie classic.
A huge black dog appears outside the Hope family home. Every member of the Hope family is terrified except the youngest Hope, Small. Small goes outside and has the giant black dog chase her until they get back home and the dog is small too. The Hope family realizes they had nothing to be scared of and now they have a wonderful new pet. This is a lovely story.
I purchased this for my son in French. La Legende du chien noir is a wonderful book with amazing illustrations. I love the fact that Small Hope is the brave one in the Hope family and sets out to prove that everyone is afraid of the the big black dog for no reason. Too many times in life we make a big deal out of something inconsequential and are paralyzed by fear.
I found the illustrations most intriguing and the story both funny and refreshing. Despite the worries of the rest of the family who caught a glimpse of the black stray through the window, Small went outside to confront it and to lead it on a chase. When she brings it back home again, it fits under a laundry basket and is neither huge nor scary.
When a big scary black dog appears outside the Hope family's home, only the smallest and youngest member of the family is brave enough to step outside and confront it. Humorous details and pleasingly quirky illustrations keep this story light as it imparts a valuable lesson about the power of fear and the importance of perspective.
As the dog kept growing and growing with each person's description of him, I suspected that perhaps he wasn't as big as they thought. I adored all the details in the illustrations - especially the picture of Small revealing the dog to her barricaded family (mom and dad wearing pots and colanders on their heads).
I loved this book! The illustrations are so unique and whimsical. I love the sepia-toned block pictures around the text. The story is about a black dog that shows up outside the Hope family's Victorian house. As each family member sees the dog, it grows in description until it is as big as the house itself. It takes the littlest child to face the family's fear.
This dog reminds me so much of Falkor from Neverending Story! He's so adorable.
This book is so beautifully illustrated I wanted to climb in the pages. And what a sweet story! Not the best for sharing with a group, but will likely become a standby for bedtime reading for many kids.
This book is so beautifully illustrated I wanted to climb in the pages. And what a sweet story! Not the best for sharing with a group, but will likely become a standby for bedtime reading for many kids.
I was scared at the beginning of the book. Ominous illustrations had me worried for the poor family! I was hopeful during the middle of the book. Small Hope knew just know what to do! I was delighted at the end of the book. I loved this family and their cozy little home. :)
I wish there were 4.5 ratings, 'cause sometimes those are really needed. The illustrations in this book are just wonderful, and the theme is one that goes a long way, with older kids, too! Great strong female protagonist with a little cockiness thrown in - terrific!
As a kid I used to be scared of dogs, but thanks to my sister-in-law she taught me that dogs could be nice if you knew how to approach them. This is a nice book, I don't love the pictures, but it seems like in most children's books I don't like the pictures.
Age: Preschool-Kindergarten
An excellent book on fears and their ability to get more and more frightening if you don't face them head on. An extra star for the semi-graphic novel features of this book with smaller vignettes before the full page picture.
An excellent book on fears and their ability to get more and more frightening if you don't face them head on. An extra star for the semi-graphic novel features of this book with smaller vignettes before the full page picture.
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Levi Pinfold’s first book, The Django, was long-listed for the Kate Greenaway Medal in the U.K. A wanderer at heart, Levi Pinfold lives in Brisbane, Australia.
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