What do you think?
Rate this book
Along Came a Dog
The friendship of a little red hen and a homeless dog who appoints himself her protector ‘is treated by the author with delicacy and strength in lovely and lucid prose.’ —C."A moving story, full of suspense." —H.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
25 people are currently reading
1307 people want to read
About the author
Meindert De Jong
44 books73 followersMeindert De Jong was an award-winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.
De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.
He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.
He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.
De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.
He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.
He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
March 30, 2018
5 stars for Along Came a Dog!
The big black dog needed a home. The big black dog needed a purpose. The big black dog needed a reason to exist. The big black dog had a plan. The big black dog found a friend. The big black dog found a purpose. The big black dog found a reason to exist. The little red hen gave him a purpose and reason to stay on the farm where he was not wanted. He was her protector. He had made it his duty to protect her. “He had made himself her unquestioning slave. He stayed with the little red hen. It was his life.”
The little red hen is a brave little chicken. She has lost her all of her toes when they froze in the winter. She runs around on her bare knuckles. The dog protects her in the night because she can no longer get up the ramp into the high loft chicken house. The farm where the dog has decided that he wants to have as his home is owned by the man. The man is good and kind. The man talks to the animals. The little red hen is his favorite, his pet. He tried to make her a little pair of rubber flippers to serve as feet for her lost toes, but it does not work, except to allow her to sit on his shoulder when he places her into the sockets he carved into them and where he had pinned them onto his coat shoulder.
The man does not want the dog, but cannot bring himself to shoot him. He takes the dog out into the country and drops him off on the side of the road. It makes him feel guilty. He does this three times, but the dog comes back each time. The dog hides from the man in the high hay loft barn and comes out after the man has gone to work for the day. He wanders around the barnyard with the flock, eating grain with the chickens. He is always hungry but does not attack the chickens and they have accepted him there with him.
The author must have spent a lot of time watching chickens and being around dogs to write such a wonderful story. His detail of how the chickens act and look at things were enchanting as were the dog’s actions. I read the book twice through, savoring every description and happening. I could read it again and again!
Along Came a Dog was published in 1958 and renewed in 1986. The book was wonderfully illustrated by Maurice Sendak, the author of Where the Wild Things Are. Along Came a Dog was a Newberry Honor winner in 1959.
The big black dog needed a home. The big black dog needed a purpose. The big black dog needed a reason to exist. The big black dog had a plan. The big black dog found a friend. The big black dog found a purpose. The big black dog found a reason to exist. The little red hen gave him a purpose and reason to stay on the farm where he was not wanted. He was her protector. He had made it his duty to protect her. “He had made himself her unquestioning slave. He stayed with the little red hen. It was his life.”
The little red hen is a brave little chicken. She has lost her all of her toes when they froze in the winter. She runs around on her bare knuckles. The dog protects her in the night because she can no longer get up the ramp into the high loft chicken house. The farm where the dog has decided that he wants to have as his home is owned by the man. The man is good and kind. The man talks to the animals. The little red hen is his favorite, his pet. He tried to make her a little pair of rubber flippers to serve as feet for her lost toes, but it does not work, except to allow her to sit on his shoulder when he places her into the sockets he carved into them and where he had pinned them onto his coat shoulder.
The man does not want the dog, but cannot bring himself to shoot him. He takes the dog out into the country and drops him off on the side of the road. It makes him feel guilty. He does this three times, but the dog comes back each time. The dog hides from the man in the high hay loft barn and comes out after the man has gone to work for the day. He wanders around the barnyard with the flock, eating grain with the chickens. He is always hungry but does not attack the chickens and they have accepted him there with him.
The author must have spent a lot of time watching chickens and being around dogs to write such a wonderful story. His detail of how the chickens act and look at things were enchanting as were the dog’s actions. I read the book twice through, savoring every description and happening. I could read it again and again!
Along Came a Dog was published in 1958 and renewed in 1986. The book was wonderfully illustrated by Maurice Sendak, the author of Where the Wild Things Are. Along Came a Dog was a Newberry Honor winner in 1959.
March 22, 2019
Splendid. When I was a child I would have loved it even more than I loved The Incredible Journey. It's lovely to read something by DeJong that takes place on just a couple of acres, too, as his 'quest' stories tend to be wearying to me. The animals are themselves, but also have so much personality... brilliant. I agree it's not for everyone, so I'm not comfortable giving if five full stars, but I really do appreciate and recommend it.
November 11, 2016
We love it! The dog was our favorite character, and it was fun how the man talked to animals. The last chapter was the best! It was sad when the red hen was missing, but it was funny and sweet that he .
January 2, 2015
This has been my favorite book for many years. A wonderful story about an amazing animal bond.
Although these are very rare, animal bonds are amazing and real. Giraffes and goats, dogs and sheep--
They act like friends, and some even love each other.
I love Along Came a Dog, which is about a misfit among misfits--a little red hen among white chickens.
She is always picked on until a big black dog (probably a Retriever mix by the way I imagine him) comes along and protects her.
But the owner of the farm thinks that the dog wants to kill the red hen and refuses to give the dog a home, dropping him far away.
Then the dog finds his way back and has to live at the farm secretly, protecting the red hen while he does so.
This is a wonderful story that just melts my heart.
Although these are very rare, animal bonds are amazing and real. Giraffes and goats, dogs and sheep--
They act like friends, and some even love each other.
I love Along Came a Dog, which is about a misfit among misfits--a little red hen among white chickens.
She is always picked on until a big black dog (probably a Retriever mix by the way I imagine him) comes along and protects her.
But the owner of the farm thinks that the dog wants to kill the red hen and refuses to give the dog a home, dropping him far away.
Then the dog finds his way back and has to live at the farm secretly, protecting the red hen while he does so.
This is a wonderful story that just melts my heart.
September 16, 2019
The right book at the right time is always magical! Read aloud to my 6 children (ages 1-13) and we all equally enjoyed the story. Something for everyone: From the quirky farmer who talks to his animals to the unlikely friendship between animals, it was wonderful from beginning to end. This author is particularly enjoyable for me to read aloud.
November 18, 2009
It isn't often that you find novels about chickens, so of course I had to like this book :-D It seems like the author is quite familiar with the ways of poultry (as well as dogs) :-) It's simply but beautifully written, and the perspectives of the little hen and the dog are well described.
August 8, 2025
This was the most unexpectedly sweet summer read-aloud for my family. We laughed, we cried, we cheered. It was moving and suspenseful - surprisingly deep in the themes and ideas it conveyed. I highly recommend it!
August 12, 2020
4.5-5 stars. "A stray dog earns a home for himself by protecting a little red hen and her chicks from a preying hawk." This description is 100% true, but it doesn't really describe the book. I'm not sure how sensitive readers would handle the events of the book. The little hen's toes have frozen off over the winter and she walks on the stumps of her feet. Because she is odd, the other chickens attack her over and over (yes, henpecked is a thing). There is a dog who is searching for a home (and a purpose) and, in spite of the man repeatedly driving him off and abandoning him, keeps returning to the barn and the chickens because he can sense there is kindness in the man. There is death in the story, but it's the death found in the farmyard. This is not a gentle read, but there is kindness in it just as there is kindness in the man. I have become a Meindert DeJong fan. I read this for my 2020 Reading Challenge (PopSugar "bird on cover"-rooster) and my Newbery Challenge (Honor 1959).
March 23, 2020
Reading along to my sister in the hospital after we finished The Light Princess. She has laughed several times during readings!...krb 9/24/19
Haven't been able to get back to this book. Visits with my sister in 29 palms are 1x a week and I'm so busy taking care of her that Ellie has been doing the reading from several picture books...krb 12/31/19
Read some more to my sister and kids. I can tell my sister is still enjoying the book even though we have long gaps between our readings...krb 3/2/20
My sister was finally able to come stay with us for a week. I was able to read this to her at naptimes and we finished!...krb 3/23/20
Haven't been able to get back to this book. Visits with my sister in 29 palms are 1x a week and I'm so busy taking care of her that Ellie has been doing the reading from several picture books...krb 12/31/19
Read some more to my sister and kids. I can tell my sister is still enjoying the book even though we have long gaps between our readings...krb 3/2/20
My sister was finally able to come stay with us for a week. I was able to read this to her at naptimes and we finished!...krb 3/23/20
May 28, 2017
Kind of an odd premise, but enjoyable. Certainly DeJong ascribes human feelings to animals, which can be problematic, but it works here. I'm not sure about the accuracy of things like how animals interact or whether they learn in the ways described here. It's interesting to have a DeJong story set in America after reading several of his foreign ones.
May 18, 2024
One of my kids told me it was a beautiful ending and was fairly emotional. We learned a lot about chicken behavior
May 6, 2019
The little red hen was having a splendid day in the barnyard. Spring had finally arrived and the weather was warm, the sun was bright, and she had just laid her first egg of the season. Proudly, she sat atop the man’s shoulder as he cleaned the coop floor and spread out fresh hay. Life on the farm was splendid indeed…until the big black dog appeared. Suddenly, this fur-covered menace had disrupted her otherwise splendid day and that wouldn’t stand one bit. After all, it was a pack of dogs that had killed all of the red hens in her flock and she alone had survived. No, the big black dog had to go and it was up to the man to do it. But no matter how determined the man was to get rid of the dog, the dog was more determined to stay for he had decided that this farm was his and no distance was going to separate him from his newly found home.
This is the second book I’ve read by Meindert DeJong (the first being "The Wheel on the School") and he again delights with a beautifully told story that reads almost like a fairytale. The actions and emotions exhibited by the animals are true to their nature so don’t expect camaraderie within the flock or gentle misunderstandings between the hen and the dog. DeJong gives us an accurate portrayal of farm life in all its splendor and savagery and readers will soon understand that life is hard and often unfair in the barnyard. Thankfully, DeJong is mindful of the age of his intended reader so he makes sure that bad is always followed by good and those possessing purity of heart and deed are eventually rewarded. Also, the story does seem to lag just a bit near the middle, so readers are encouraged to dutifully plow ahead as the ending will merit their effort and patience.
"Along Came a Dog" is a story of duty, purpose, loyalty, and an overwhelmingly desire to belong, and it serves as a wonderful example of the benefits of perseverance and the virtues of honor. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see dog so steadfast in his mission to return to a place where he obviously wasn’t welcome. But, his rationale was quite simple: “He was back. Twice he’d been taken away, and twice now he’d come back. And if the man were to take him away thirty times, he’d come back thirty times. He wasn’t dim-witted—he knew he wasn’t wanted here. But every time he was taken away, he’d try to come back. It wasn’t a plan in the big dog’s mind. It was a need, a desperation to have a home. He was going to have a home! It was that simple.” On that fateful spring day, a friendship was formed and a home was discovered when a hen with broken feet and a dog with an unbroken spirit found each other. When you think about it, it turned out to be a rather splendid day after all.
This is the second book I’ve read by Meindert DeJong (the first being "The Wheel on the School") and he again delights with a beautifully told story that reads almost like a fairytale. The actions and emotions exhibited by the animals are true to their nature so don’t expect camaraderie within the flock or gentle misunderstandings between the hen and the dog. DeJong gives us an accurate portrayal of farm life in all its splendor and savagery and readers will soon understand that life is hard and often unfair in the barnyard. Thankfully, DeJong is mindful of the age of his intended reader so he makes sure that bad is always followed by good and those possessing purity of heart and deed are eventually rewarded. Also, the story does seem to lag just a bit near the middle, so readers are encouraged to dutifully plow ahead as the ending will merit their effort and patience.
"Along Came a Dog" is a story of duty, purpose, loyalty, and an overwhelmingly desire to belong, and it serves as a wonderful example of the benefits of perseverance and the virtues of honor. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming to see dog so steadfast in his mission to return to a place where he obviously wasn’t welcome. But, his rationale was quite simple: “He was back. Twice he’d been taken away, and twice now he’d come back. And if the man were to take him away thirty times, he’d come back thirty times. He wasn’t dim-witted—he knew he wasn’t wanted here. But every time he was taken away, he’d try to come back. It wasn’t a plan in the big dog’s mind. It was a need, a desperation to have a home. He was going to have a home! It was that simple.” On that fateful spring day, a friendship was formed and a home was discovered when a hen with broken feet and a dog with an unbroken spirit found each other. When you think about it, it turned out to be a rather splendid day after all.
February 13, 2020
This is a sweet story of an unlikely friendship, faithfulness, perseverance, and compassion. It's both sad and happy and is certainly a story which evokes both pity and empathy.
Plus, I learned some new things about chickens. :-D
Note:
There is some mild peril and some serious chicken violence (laugh if you must! I feel compelled to mention this for the sake of sensitive children who aren't accustomed to chickens and their ways!). The rooster beats the heads of the hens with his beak. The flock picks on the little hen and "thrashes" her often. She loses her toes due to freezing and walks around on her knucklebones. There are many quarrels in which the chickens rake each other with their claws. The rooster flies into some chicken wire in a frenzy of fear and his neck gets caught, and then he dies. It is later said that he broke his neck. It was described that its carcass was still warm when the farmer found it and began to pluck it. On several occasions, something happens to one or another of the hens to make them vulnerable (one got its foot caught and hung upside down from the water fountain stand; "The bloodied white hen hung limp and still, wings fallen open.") and the flock viciously attacks it. The farmer yells at the chickens and calls them names like "fools" and "cannibals." He also complains of their stupidity and meanness (well-deserved descriptions). Of the rooster he exclaims, "And where were you? Helping to rip her to pieces, I suppose, when you should have protected her. You and your evil, stupid little brain!" Hawks attack the chickens and one lifts a chicken, attempting to fly away with it, but has to let it go.
The farmer mistakenly assumes the homeless dog worked mischief with the chickens and eggs, including believing that it had killed the little red hen, and mutters about how he might have killed the dog with his bare hands, but always talks himself out of hurting it. He does repeatedly take the dog away and leave it in random out-of-the-way places in an effort to keep the dog from returning to the farm, because he doesn't want to be bothered with giving the dog a home. His conscience often bothers him and we see that he has a compassionate heart, even if he doesn't always act on his pity at first.
Plus, I learned some new things about chickens. :-D
Note:
There is some mild peril and some serious chicken violence (laugh if you must! I feel compelled to mention this for the sake of sensitive children who aren't accustomed to chickens and their ways!). The rooster beats the heads of the hens with his beak. The flock picks on the little hen and "thrashes" her often. She loses her toes due to freezing and walks around on her knucklebones. There are many quarrels in which the chickens rake each other with their claws. The rooster flies into some chicken wire in a frenzy of fear and his neck gets caught, and then he dies. It is later said that he broke his neck. It was described that its carcass was still warm when the farmer found it and began to pluck it. On several occasions, something happens to one or another of the hens to make them vulnerable (one got its foot caught and hung upside down from the water fountain stand; "The bloodied white hen hung limp and still, wings fallen open.") and the flock viciously attacks it. The farmer yells at the chickens and calls them names like "fools" and "cannibals." He also complains of their stupidity and meanness (well-deserved descriptions). Of the rooster he exclaims, "And where were you? Helping to rip her to pieces, I suppose, when you should have protected her. You and your evil, stupid little brain!" Hawks attack the chickens and one lifts a chicken, attempting to fly away with it, but has to let it go.
The farmer mistakenly assumes the homeless dog worked mischief with the chickens and eggs, including believing that it had killed the little red hen, and mutters about how he might have killed the dog with his bare hands, but always talks himself out of hurting it. He does repeatedly take the dog away and leave it in random out-of-the-way places in an effort to keep the dog from returning to the farm, because he doesn't want to be bothered with giving the dog a home. His conscience often bothers him and we see that he has a compassionate heart, even if he doesn't always act on his pity at first.
December 2, 2024
Genre: modern fantasy
Grade Level: 3-6
Holy cow, this book is adorable. This would be a great read aloud in a class, or an assigned reading group book. It is heartfelt and emotional and I haven't felt this connected to animals since I read Charlotte's Web. I love when books use animals to show children how to be kind and make friends.
Grade Level: 3-6
Holy cow, this book is adorable. This would be a great read aloud in a class, or an assigned reading group book. It is heartfelt and emotional and I haven't felt this connected to animals since I read Charlotte's Web. I love when books use animals to show children how to be kind and make friends.
October 15, 2019
I enjoy slow and detailed books but this one was a bit slow for me. 2.5 read for me.
November 23, 2023
Very clean book and a great story for animal lovers. This would spur a good discussion about assumptions. I don’t know much about chickens, so was not sure if all the events were true or not. Loyalty is a strong theme. Animals eat each other and there are certain behaviors- pecking order- hello. Some reviewers are just plain ridiculous complaining about natural animal behavior.
August 5, 2016
It's spring on the farm at last. The hens have been stuck inside the chicken coop in the top of an old horse barn all winter. When the man comes to let them out, the little red hen is especially glad to see the man and get out in the barnyard. The man has made something of a pet of the last little red hen, so when he discovers her feet froze off in the winter, he decides to disobey his boss's orders to kill the hen. He tries hard to protect the hen from the attacks of the rooster and his harem of white hens and from the big black dog that has wandered onto the farm. The man does all he can to ensure the hen's safety, including taking away the dog, but she has a habit of getting out of where he's stuck her. The man can't figure out how the hen is staying safe. What he doesn't know is that the dog has appointed himself the little red hen's protector and though he has little food in the barnyard and must hide from the man, he sticks around to protect the little red hen. As spring turns to summer and threats increase, the little red hen tries to survive with the help of her dog. This story is sort of the anti-Charlotte's Web. The animals are not given human characteristics, or even names. They behave as animals are supposed to in their natural environment which causes a lot of violence. For this reason, I would not recommend the story to sensitive children. This story is best for older readers who read below grade level. Though the main characters don't have names or talk in human speech, I cared for them anyway. I wondered what would happen to the hen and the dog but not enough to want to continually read this book in one sitting. I think adults will appreciate the well-written prose and the heartwarming ending, but I'm not certain kids will enjoy this story. I liked it but it's not one of my favorites. All the animal violence really turned me off even though I know "survival of the fittest" rules the natural world. This book really makes me feel better about eating chicken...
October 4, 2018
I read this one aloud to my kids and really enjoyed it myself. It can prompt some good discussion concerning bullying and assuming the worst of people without taking the time to really figure things out. The story reminds the reader of the importance of asking questions of people who might be or think differently than you before you write them off as undesirable. This was a compelling story that had my children laughing at times and grinning over memories of our former chicken flock. :) We loved this book and would highly recommend it!
January 27, 2013
Written in 1958, this Newberry honors book was a terrific find as I sorted and packed my kids' old bookshelves. A sweet story about a barnyard with chickens, hawks, and of course, the stray dog. But these aren't Disney animals. They act according to their natures and the author gives great insight here. Who doesn't love a book with a dog in it?! And the happy ending makes it all the better!
Read
September 2, 2016I feel sad about that dog along for need play or something but this not real story because dog is doing did around in farm or watch that I through smart or helper dog and they care about his dog when they just farmer and worry about his dog or animal.
February 3, 2020
Is this book and end of your seat page turner? No. Not at all. But it is charming through and through. We also found it very informative, as non-farmers. Malachi summed it up best, "if this story has a lesson, it's that chickens are mean."
April 7, 2023
I absolutely loved this book, as did my 8 year old daughter, who I read it with. Being the animal lovers we are, and loving to see how different species interact with one another, this book has quickly become a favorite.
May 8, 2022
I loved Meindert DeJong’s “Wheel on the School” so much that I wanted to read another one of his books. Along Came a Dog did not disappoint.
I had mentioned Flossie and Bossie in a book group and someone suggested if I liked that book I would like Along Came a Dog. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship of a dog and and hen. We get a lot of the dog’s perspective and the dog really drives this story from the middle on.
A couple favorite passages from this book:
“He was back. Twice he’d been taken away, twice now he’d come back. And if the man were to take him away thirty times , he’d come back thirty times. He wasn’t dim-witted- he knew he wasn’t wanted here. But every time he was taken away, he’d try to come back. It wasn’t a plan in the dog’s mind. It was a need, a desperation to have a home. He was going to have a home! It was that simple.”
The little red hen was the one thing that had brought the dog back. The other thing was the sure knowledge that the man was good. Whatever the man did to him, for whatever reason, the man was kind and good. And knowing that, the dog knew a sure fact: The little hen was his to guard and protect, and he was going to be the man’s, and this was going to be his home.”
I am looking forward to reading more books by Meindert DeJong.
I had mentioned Flossie and Bossie in a book group and someone suggested if I liked that book I would like Along Came a Dog. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship of a dog and and hen. We get a lot of the dog’s perspective and the dog really drives this story from the middle on.
A couple favorite passages from this book:
“He was back. Twice he’d been taken away, twice now he’d come back. And if the man were to take him away thirty times , he’d come back thirty times. He wasn’t dim-witted- he knew he wasn’t wanted here. But every time he was taken away, he’d try to come back. It wasn’t a plan in the dog’s mind. It was a need, a desperation to have a home. He was going to have a home! It was that simple.”
The little red hen was the one thing that had brought the dog back. The other thing was the sure knowledge that the man was good. Whatever the man did to him, for whatever reason, the man was kind and good. And knowing that, the dog knew a sure fact: The little hen was his to guard and protect, and he was going to be the man’s, and this was going to be his home.”
I am looking forward to reading more books by Meindert DeJong.
December 10, 2019
Sweet, somewhat sentimental story about a stray dog who befriends a defenseless red hen in a barnyard.
What we enjoyed the most (my children whom I read this to) was the spot-on descriptions of the chickens. We have hens and a rooster and the behavioral antics depicted by the author are exactly what we chuckle over in our own flock. We could relate to the man, for we are very fond of our own dim-witted, feathered friends!
The pace of the book lags a bit, which in some ways can be tedious, but in others, is redolent of a more laid-back time.
Indeed, it's almost impossible not to mentally juxtapose an era when animals were valued but not worshiped above humanity, against the dark backdrop of today, where people's elevation of them threatens to put us in the kind of third-world mentality we witness in impoverished countries, where monkeys and cows or cats are protected, but vulnerable humans are not.
What we enjoyed the most (my children whom I read this to) was the spot-on descriptions of the chickens. We have hens and a rooster and the behavioral antics depicted by the author are exactly what we chuckle over in our own flock. We could relate to the man, for we are very fond of our own dim-witted, feathered friends!
The pace of the book lags a bit, which in some ways can be tedious, but in others, is redolent of a more laid-back time.
Indeed, it's almost impossible not to mentally juxtapose an era when animals were valued but not worshiped above humanity, against the dark backdrop of today, where people's elevation of them threatens to put us in the kind of third-world mentality we witness in impoverished countries, where monkeys and cows or cats are protected, but vulnerable humans are not.
June 21, 2017
Newbery Honor: 1959
The simple, everyday pleasures of farm life are told through the eyes of a kind man who loves each and every one of the animals on his property. The old dog who keeps showing up is a reminder to him what the gentle, correographed sequence of life and death are all about. He is sure the dog is only there to kill and eat his chickens and disrupt his routine.
But, when he discovers the true reason the dog shows up each and every time he though he got rid of him, the kind man realizes that the dog is invaluable and he deserves a home, too. Along Came a Dog probably won't thrill kids with its over-simplified dialogue, daily farming chores, and chicken squabbles, but the bond between the dog and the little red hen will warm anyone's heart and give us all some food-for-thought.
The simple, everyday pleasures of farm life are told through the eyes of a kind man who loves each and every one of the animals on his property. The old dog who keeps showing up is a reminder to him what the gentle, correographed sequence of life and death are all about. He is sure the dog is only there to kill and eat his chickens and disrupt his routine.
But, when he discovers the true reason the dog shows up each and every time he though he got rid of him, the kind man realizes that the dog is invaluable and he deserves a home, too. Along Came a Dog probably won't thrill kids with its over-simplified dialogue, daily farming chores, and chicken squabbles, but the bond between the dog and the little red hen will warm anyone's heart and give us all some food-for-thought.
December 27, 2024
"The little hen, by punishing him, had made everything different. And much better! Now the little hen did not belong to him merely to guard and protect - she was his boss, he belonged to her. He belonged to someone! The dog swiped a big paw over his sore, pecked nose, and felt good. And he lived the little hen."
Started out slow but eventually became a page-turner. Just like The House of Sixty Father, written also by Meindert DeJong, I also had trouble putting this book down. I never thought I would be fully swept away by another barnyard story but I was. His writing was so riveting that you couldn't help being sympathetic towards the little red hen and the big homeless dog who loves her.
Meindert DeJong really is one brilliant story-teller and I couldn't wait to dive into his other works.
Started out slow but eventually became a page-turner. Just like The House of Sixty Father, written also by Meindert DeJong, I also had trouble putting this book down. I never thought I would be fully swept away by another barnyard story but I was. His writing was so riveting that you couldn't help being sympathetic towards the little red hen and the big homeless dog who loves her.
Meindert DeJong really is one brilliant story-teller and I couldn't wait to dive into his other works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 23, 2023
2.5 stars rounded down because of the high rating this book has overall. This book ended well and, at its bones, is a story of a friendship between a dog and a chicken. But in the first two chapters, a stray dog arrives at a farm, and the man drives it further out to the country to get rid of it. Twice. On the first day of spring, a chicken goes out into the barn yard. Her feet get stuck in mud and just come off because they'd frozen over the winter. The other chickens try to peck her to death because she's different. I won't spoil beyond what happens in the first two chapters, and I'm trying to leave room for the ways life was different sixty-five years ago, but this was pretty brutal and a challenge to read.
April 4, 2024
I wasn't sure about this story at first but quickly found myself loving the characters and becoming very invested in the story. It has a very different feel to it than other children's literature I've read. There's very little dialogue (only two men ever speak, and they don't show up in every chapter), and the story is propelled by the narrator explaining the thoughts and actions of a flock of chickens and a dog searching for a place to call home. These creatures were not anthropomorphized but seemed very true to their God-given design. This was a high contrast coming from "Charlotte's Web." Charlotte's (7 year old daughter) only complaint was that it only had 10 chapters and it should have lasted longer.
July 10, 2017
I read this book aloud to my children (ages 6, 4, 3 & 2), and I think it was a good read. It wasn't my favorite type of story, and it felt like it dragged on in certain parts of the book.
However, I did appreciate the lessons on chickens, wild life, and farm living, and how it helped teach these things to my kids since we don't live that lifestyle. I especially loved how it pointed out how misunderstandings can happen, and how the story painted the dog in a good light. My kids are afraid of dogs as we've had a couple bad run-ins with dogs, and I think this story helped them see how some dogs are good.
However, I did appreciate the lessons on chickens, wild life, and farm living, and how it helped teach these things to my kids since we don't live that lifestyle. I especially loved how it pointed out how misunderstandings can happen, and how the story painted the dog in a good light. My kids are afraid of dogs as we've had a couple bad run-ins with dogs, and I think this story helped them see how some dogs are good.
April 5, 2019
TITLE: Along Came a Dog
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It is a Newbery Honor Book
REVIEW: This is a really sweet book. A farm-hand on a big farm gets a bit of land for himself. He develops a "family". First with some chickens including a little red hen who lost her feet, and then with a dog that he cannot get rid of no matter how hard he tries. The dog and the little red hen develop a friendship and he protects her from the dangers in the world. And the man comes to learn that the dog is more than what he thought. And they all lived happily ever after. Meindert DeJong has a wonderful way with making the ordinary and average heroic.
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It is a Newbery Honor Book
REVIEW: This is a really sweet book. A farm-hand on a big farm gets a bit of land for himself. He develops a "family". First with some chickens including a little red hen who lost her feet, and then with a dog that he cannot get rid of no matter how hard he tries. The dog and the little red hen develop a friendship and he protects her from the dangers in the world. And the man comes to learn that the dog is more than what he thought. And they all lived happily ever after. Meindert DeJong has a wonderful way with making the ordinary and average heroic.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews