The Green Poodles

by Charlotte Baker

Here is a good yarn complete with dogs, a newcomer in the family, a mystery - and a happy ending. There are mixed feelings when the Greens of Pond Farm learn that an orphan cousin from England, Fern, is coming to them in Texas. Twelve year old Allan is pleased; he will have a playmate. Fern brings with her a champion silver poodle, Juliet, and - strange baggage - her half of a one time valuable portrait of an ancestor, Nathaniel Green. As the season advances, the youngsters are absorbed in training Juliet's puppies, and in planning for a dream kennel. Then comes their chance, when they help catch a thief set on stealing Fern's picture. The eventual disposal of the painting to a museum nets enough money to provide the start of the hoped-for kennel.

Genres: Dogs

218 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1956

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm usually leery of re-reading a book I loved as a child, because attitudes, civil rights, and political correctness have all changed since then. However, The Green Poodles is as timeless today as it was in the 1950s when I read it the first time, and I consider it on a par with books by Cleary, Lawson and Haywood. I would not hesitate to recommend it to any child today, if it were more widely available.

[Carolyn Sasaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I read it in second grade, so I wrote a book report. We had a substitute who insisted I change the title of the book so it would be grammatically correct: "The Green's Poodles." I cried I was so frustrated.

[Callie King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book probably around 15 years ago at a thrift store when I was a kid. It ended up being one of my all time favorite books from my childhood. I would definitely recommend it to any child if you can locate a copy.

[Janet]

I loved this book as a child.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As good as I remember! :)

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allan Green, who lives at Pond Farm with his Aunt Lena and older siblings Ann and Charley, really wants a dog. Aunt Lena likes dogs, but she insists that they can't have one on the farm - at least until the newly-orphaned cousin Fern moves in along with her poodle, Juliet. Little do Allan and Aunt Lena realize how the arrival of this champion canine will change their lives, first by having puppies and then by bringing the entire Green clan into the world of dog shows, kennels, and obedience classes.
I read this vintage middle grade novel aloud to my three oldest daughters, ages 7, 5, and 3, and they all liked it. There are lots of details that kids find interesting about dog training, dog breeds, dog shows, and dog haircuts, and there is a bit of a mystery woven throughout the story as well. I found the book pleasant enough, but a bit longer than necessary. The middle of the story really drags under the weight of a few too many doggie details and the payoff on the mystery plot is way too late in coming. By the time the truth comes out, the initial details of that thread of the story are all but forgotten! (I also predicted how things would turn out, but I don't think my kids saw it coming, so that's less of a criticism, and more a comment on how the book is really tailored to its intended audience, rather than to the expectations of adults.)

The Green Poodles is a good book for modeling family cooperation and for showing how sacrifice, perseverance, and teamwork can help even a group of young kids achieve their goals and find success in the world of business. Absolutely nothing that happens in this book is likely to happen in real life, but the positive spirit that the Greens maintain in the face of adversity is a positive influence I don't mind passing on to my kids. This book is in our home library, and I'm sure we will revisit it when my little ones are old enough to enjoy it.

This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.

[Sandi Steinberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in the 1950 between grades 4 and 6.

[Jude Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My grandmother sent me this book for Christmas in 1956 when I was 9. I named a stuffed poodle Juliet after the dog in the book and carried that dog around the world. Once I left her in a hotel in Switzerland, but somehow my parents managed to have her found and sent back to me. A few years later, I got my first standard poodle, and spent a good deal of my adult life raising, training and showing the dogs. I still have one. This book really did change my life. I just read it again, thinking I'd give it to a granddaughter. It's still a good yarn and has such accurate information about dog shows and obedience trials.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little disappointing. There is a lot of information for the dog-loving reader, especially if you are into dog shows and breeding and the like. There is a mystery, too, but it is woefully underplayed. The family is interesting (as are the East Texas and New Orleans locations), and I wouldn't have minded a couple of sequels if they got into other topics.

[Joanna Ohnanik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite books as a child. I just finished reading it again after 60+ years and I’m still in love with it. Would highly recommend for anyone who is crazy about dogs, as I loved the details about training and showing. It’s sad that so many of the books I loved, including some others by this same author, are now so hard to find.

[Renee Bennett Tone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite novels when I was about ten. I am so glad to see that it's still around and accessible to contemporary readers!