I Want a Dog

by Dayal Kaur Khalsa

When her parents refuse to get her a dog, May creates an imaginary dog out of a roller skate

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dogs

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pictures in this book are amazing, especially if you’re a Seurat fan, which I am. I like the story too. I always wanted a dog when I was a kid.

[Jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the book and the NFB film as well but it's really the back story that is what rocks for me as Khlasa takes us back into her childhood in the 50s - together with Tales of a Gambling Grandma, My Family Vacation, How Pizza Came to Our Town and Cowboy Dreams we have a swell collection of books - sadly Tundra has let most of them go out of print

Jan/14 Khalsa's book still rocks each and every time I re-read it - and her illustrations are just magical - full of such exquisite detail

Jan/ 15 - teaching Khalsa's exquisite book - along with Sheldon Cohen's animated short - is a delight

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

May wants a dog REALLY bad! Unfortunately, her parents think she's too young. In order to prove she is capable of caring for one, she pretends a white roller skate is a dog. She takes it on walks, cleans it, takes it trick-or-treating, and starts a neighborhood trend (kids walking their roller skates around).
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I had this book as a child and I vividly remember the pictures. I was mesmerized by them even though I've never really wanted a dog myself.

[Shahd Rdawi · Rating 5 out of 5]

📀 story

[Dave Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet children's story about little May wanting a dog. Seems like all the other kids have dogs and May wants to join in on the fun. Having my dog, Chief (a border collie), I certainly relate to the connection with loving dogs. A fun read. Not the best illustrations.

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can’t always get what you want, but if you try, try, try again you might enjoy yourself anyway. In a quiet explosion of colour, character and creativity, this book tells us how.

Links mentioned:

* Georges Seurat: A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
* Archived Sketches (Library and Archives of Canada)

More Art on JOMB:

* Victor and Christabel
* Dogs’ Night


Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:

http://www.justonemorebook.com/2006/1...

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am reading When Life Gives You O.J. by Erica Perl with third graders. They found this book and shared it with me. The little girl in this can give Zelly a bit of a run for her money in the "I want a dog" competition. Fun that they found the connection.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

May wants a dog more than anything else in the world. She begs, she pleads, she whines, she tries to make her parents see her need for a dog. Not until she makes an imaginary dog out of a roller skate and responsibly cares for the dog does her family agree that she is "old enough" to have a pet.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been hunting down this book for some time. It was definitely worth it.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

virtue: perseverance/ problem solving/ innovation

moral: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kid really, really, really wants a dog.

The end.

[James]

DVD reading of story