Eliza's Dog

by Betsy Hearne, Erica Thurston (Illustrator)

Nine-year-old Eliza's vacation in Ireland and England is complicated when she acquires a bouncy sheepdog named Panda

144 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1996

About the author

Betsy Hearne is the author of numerous articles and books, including Choosing Books for Children: A Commonsense Guide, the folktale anthology Beauties and Beasts, fiction for both children and young adults, and picture books—one of which, Seven Brave Women, won the Jane Addams Children's Book Award. The former children's book editor of Booklist and of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, she has reviewed books for almost forty years and contributes regularly to The Horn Book Magazine.

Hearne was the former Director of The Center for Children's Books and a professor emerita in the Graduate School of Library and Information Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she taught children's literature and storytelling for many years.

Reviews

[★Ashli★ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Picked this up at the library and read to my 6y. This is mostly a sweet story, but there’s a few talking back instances and language or discussions that were a bit too old for her. Near the end it jumped time too drastically, multiple times…those scenes seemed out of place after the main storyline of her convincing her parents to have a dog, and getting it home, and what not. My daughter seemed to enjoy my edited version (language, when necessary). Lol

[Renee]

One book I checked out from the library over and over as a kid. My thoughts about it are different now, but I loved is as a girl longing for a puppy.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The puppies were curled together in a heap, asleep and damp from the rain."
Eliza has ALWAYS wanted a dog. While in Ireland on vacation, she comes across a beautiful border collie pup for sale, and manages to persuade her parents to buy it. The puppy is immediately dubbed "Panda" because of her black and white markings. Once the family is home in Chicago, Eliza discovers the joys and the sorrows that come with raising a puppy. Together, she and Panda learn important lessons about growing up, sometimes a bit painfully.
This was a sweet, gentle read. Absolutely perfect for elementary-age readers! I think any child who owns a dog, or really desires to someday, would enjoy this book immensely! (An interesting side note; this was written in 1996, so no Internet, no cell phones or Ipads/Mp3 players are mentioned! Could be the point of a discussion with parents/teachers and kids about what life used to be like without these devices.)
Great Quotes From This Book:
(pg.63) "You'll play Siamese twins with the T.V.; become permanently attached."-Mom
(pg. 150) "A baby would be around all the time, like a wart. Warts require a lot of patience."

*This book was rated a B+ in my Reading Journal*