Harry and the Lady Next Door

Harry the Dog

by Gene Zion, Margaret Bloy Graham (Illustrator)

Harry is a little white dog with black spots who has a big problem—the lady next door sings all the time and hurts poor Harry's ears. She sings higher than the peanut man's whistle and louder than the siren on the fire engine, but no one does anything about it—except Harry that is. Harry comes up with one clever scheme after another to get her to stop, each one funnier than the last and each one landing him a night in the doghouse. But Harry is ingenious and persistent, and his attempts finally lead to a solution that is a wonderful surprise for both Harry and the lady next door.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs, Fiction, Animals, Music, Humor

64 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

Born on October 5, in 1913, Gene Zion attended the New School of Social Research and the Pratt Institute. In 1948, he married artist Margaret Bloy Graham, who then collaborated with him on all his picture books. When their marriage ended in 1968, Zion also ended his career as an author. Zion is best known for his creation of the rascally dog, Harry, who appears in such books as HARRY THE DIRTY DOG and HARRY BY THE SEA. He died in 1975.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for the illustrations and 3 stars for the text.

I love the illustrations, lovely 60's style and there's something I really like about this type of illustration that uses only two colours with black, white and grey. The choice of yellow and olive used here is beautiful and surprisingly effective. The illustrations are very animated and will appeal to dog owners who will identify with this dogs antics.

I was attracted also my the sheet music on the front page and the tuba on the back, I was hoping for a bit more of a musical theme to the book and felt the story was slightly lacking, however I think young children will really enjoy this and find Harry fun and lovable.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good children's classic. I have to get the rest of this series. Poor lovable Harry, tortured by the lady next door who seems to think she has a marvelous voice but Harry does what he can to silence her to he can have some peace.

[Casey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. One thing I really liked was the fact that the story was divided into three sections. The book fit very well in my text structure unit, when learning about problem and solution. Harry's problem was that he didn't like the lady next door because he didn't like her voice (she sang too much). The book was divided into three parts, and in each part Harry attempted to solve his problem. Finally, in the third part of the book he finds a solution. The fact that the book was divided into three parts made the three attempts at solving the problem stand out better. Another thing I liked about the story was that the attempts that Harry made to solve his problem were somewhat humerous to the young students, and kept them interested in the book. It left room for discussion. Ie: I would say, "So what did Harry do to try to fix the problem this time? What do you think he will do next? How would you solve this problem?"

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really adorable and fun for all ages. It kept me laughing 🤗

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun enough. Great pictures. I can imagine myself making the noises if I were reading it to a kid.

[Kirsten Kouwenhoven · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Harry and the Lady Next Door, a dog named Harry is disturbed and irked by the loud and high singing of his neighbor lady. His antics to stop the lady from singing are hilarious. After being thrown out of the house for attempting to bite the lady's leg, he finds other sounds that are more pleasing to him. When he hears the low and wonderful sounds of cows and tubas, he tried to convince the lady also. Finally, the lady sings in a singing contest and when all the other contestants are scared by two frogs which leap out a watering can Harry had placed behind the lady, she won and was sent far away to perfect her singing.

Instructional Ideas:

pre-reading:
Ask students to bring up prior knowledge about pets and dogs. Have them share one thing each about their own dogs and dogs in general.

The suffix and word pattern: ing appears often in this book. Present a mini-lesson using some of the words from the book. Have students practice making new words using ing to create a word family, as well as adding the ing suffix to root words to create new words. Er and ed or other endings that could be introduced or reinforced before reading the book.

To activate schema of Harry books, ask students what they know about the character Harry and the characteristics of other Harry books.

During reading:
Assign the book to a more-proficient reader and a struggling reading for paired reading.

Ask students to use phonics skills only for first phoneme. When they come to word they can't figure out using context, by either rereading from the beginning of the sentence or reading on, they will write the words down on a bookmark to look up later.

The text of the book is repetitive and predictable. While reading, have students use their strategies, such as looking at pictures, noticing the repetitive language and events, and predicting future events.

Post-reading
Have students write their own stories of more of Harry's adventures using the same characters and setting.

Ask students to be quiet for a minute, or whatever time you see appropriate, and listen to the sounds around them. Make a class list with these and other sounds students offer. Which sounds do they find pleasant or unpleasant?

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

That cute little dog tries everything to get his opera-singing neighbor lady, who sings quite loud and high, to stop making such a racket that Harry doesn't enjoy. A solution is found in the end, but Harry does try many things before a happy ending is found.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprisingly useful book for a kid who doesn't like loud noises. It has also fueled his enthusiasm for the tuba. He has now decided that besides the tuba, the fiddle and gourd harp also say "oom-pa."

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a vague memory of this book. I remember that the pictures are cute and the storyline funny.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Harry (remember him "the dirty dog?"). I love the old fashioned adorable illustrations.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was too long and is somewhat convoluted. Harry the Dirty Dog is better. (But the art is fun and appropriate.)

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is enjoyable and educational at the same time.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny little story with charming illustrations.

[Wendelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Harry's neighbor, the lady next door, incessantly belts out her arias, Harry doesn't just suffer it with grace. Instead, Harry sets out on a crusade for assortments of low-pitched music in the hopes of inspiring the lady to follow a different path. Ultimately, Harry stumbles on a solution to universal satisfaction.

[Juli19 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very funny story. It is about a dog named Harry and its neighbor (the lady next door). Harry does not like the lady next door because she sings high and loud that the noise hurts its ears. Harry tries different things to make her stop. Harry and his dog friends howl under her window but she keeps singing; Harry makes some cows go to the lady's house and they moo but the lady goes on singing louder. Harry makes the band go under the lady's window and it does not work either. Finally, one day the lady participates in a contest and Harry finds a watering can and puts it on the floor behind her, when the lady starts singing some frogs come out of the can and everybody runs away except for the lady next door. At the end she wins the first prize in the contest and she gets to study music in a far-off country for a long time. Harry is happy now because he will not listen to her any more. It is a very good story and I would recommend this book to children between the ages of 6-8 years old. Children would like the book because it has nice pictures and they will have fun reading the book.

[Cammym · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harry hates the sound of the lady who is always singing next door. She never stops! She sings high and loud. She even comes over to give a concert at Harry's house! He can't stand it. So when he gets a chance to make off with some of her music, he runs with it. He hears all kinds of soft, low sounds, so he thinks he ought to bring them on over to the neighbor ladies' house so that she can learn how to sound better. However, she does not appreciate the cows or the brass band. But when the lady wins a singing contest, she gets to go far away to study music! Harry thinks the sound of the boats horn as she floats away is the most beautiful goodbye song he has ever heard.

Great classic series.

Beginning reader, dogs.

[J9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great book for kids who are reading level 3 or 4 and are pretty much independent readers. Also for ones, ready to start chapter books, which this is. My son liked this so much he read the whole thing in one sitting, but as many of you know, I'm a voracious reader, so it's only natural that my kids will (probably) be as well. Besides, if he reads extra than his daily reading, he gets "credits" toward fun things to do or special time with mom and dad. It's a win win for all of us. This one had lots of fun stories about Harry, our favorite mischievous dog. I loved reading him as a kid and it's fun to see my 5 yr old son get into him as well. A great addition to any children's library.

[Myrza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zion, G. (1988). Harry and the Lady Next Door. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. The illustrations just capture your attention when you begin reading. The author writes about how a dog and the neighborhood deal with a lady next door that can sing really high. The funny book shows the many ways that the dog exhausts to try and stop the lady from singing. The dog discovered that no matter how hard he tried to change something he had no control over, it all worked itself out at the end.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Harry books and this one is no exception! Give this to your beginning reader. They'll enjoy it immensely.

Reading Level: 1st - 3rd grades

**Like my reviews? I also have hundreds of detailed reports that I offer too. These reports give a complete break-down of everything in the book, so you'll know just how clean it is or isn't. I also have Clean Guides (downloadable PDFs) which enable you to clean up your book before reading it! Visit my website: The Book Radar.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Copyright 1960. I never realized the illustrator was married to the author! This story I bought for my kids. I had not read it as a child. I LOVE Harry!

This is a great early reader. It will make kids feel grown up, as it's a chapter book. Harry has a problem with the lady next door with her singing. Very shrill & high. He comes up with many inventive ways to get her to sing lower. This story has a good sense of humor & my kids loved it!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up reading the whole thing because a previous librarian made a note on its file that just said "language," and I assumed it must contain some insensitive language or something but...no??? I don't know what the note was about, but I DO know that I love Harry and his shenanigans.
EDIT: the only "language" was me whispering "fuck it up, Harry" to myself in my quiet little library

[Gabriele · Rating 4 out of 5]

got this book as a special treat for DS and it's super cute...poor Harry has to deal with his obnoxiously loud singing neighbor and has lots of ideas to get 'rid' of her! DS has loved reading this aloud to me!

[Dianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry can't stand the lady next door's singing—he prefers low sounds—but she just won't stop. Happily, everything turns out perfectly for everyone in the end.

Even though I'm an opera fan, I found this story funny. My two-year-old liked it too.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable bedtime story.
I love trying to make different voices and sounds while reading.
And trying to make the HIGH singing lady voice and the the LOW horn sounds had my kids in a fit of giggles.
This was a fun bedtime story.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the illustrations, and the story is funny. Easy for a young reader to read.

I also did all the singing and sound effects myself, which amused me greatly. My kids gave me mixed reviews on my singing.

Amateurs.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "An I Can Read Book" series has never failed to amaze me. The dog, Harry, is very intelligent and comes up with brilliant plots to drive his neighbor out of town.

[Gigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of Harrison's favorite books as a child. I still have the book and read it to Shelby. Her favorite HArry book is Harry the Dirty Dog.

[Peggy Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The lady next door sang. She sang high and loud. When she sang Harry's ears hurt." How can you not love a book that starts out like that?

[Mandy J. Hoffman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story in the series about Harry the Dog. These 'good ole stories' are sometimes the most fun to read.

[ErikaWaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very fun little book! It cracked us up as we read about Harry's adventures.