Product Description

Always on the go, to work and to school, and shopping on the weekends, the Gustin family fill their lives with things more important than their little brown dog. So Boy spends most days alone, in the fenced backyard, feeling vaguely unloved and growing fat- until the day he decides to dig himself out. With sensitivity and skill, Susan Boase reminds us that every dog deserves his day- and perhaps, if we are truly fortunate, at day's end, we will find companionship and love.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #728852 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-26
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 32 pages

From Publishers Weekly (starred review)
This splendidly told dog story finds a pair of neighbors one two-legged, the other four-legged mired in loneliness until chance brings them together. Confined by a high wooden fence to a barren back yard, Boy, a small brown, "kind of stinky" dog, is neglected and bored ("There wasn't much to look at; he had looked"). Next door lives elderly Mr. Miller, recently widowed and struggling with his loss ("He knew his wasn't the only broken heart in the world, but it certainly felt like it"). One night Boy digs his way under the fence, and when Mr. Miller discovers him in his yard the following morning seemingly dropped from nowhere, as Boy's tunnel is disguised by the compost pile it's love at first sight. A bath reveals Boy to be white, not brown, and he's allowed to do all manner of new things: come inside, jump on a bed, ride in a car and go for a walk on a leash. It's hard to say who's happier: "You and I are lucky to have found each other, Boy!" says Mr. Miller. The warmth and humor of newcomer Boase's polished prose revitalizes what might otherwise seem a predictable tale, and her sepia pencil drawings underscore the simplicity of her theme. The softly shaded and cross-hatched lines convey the story's innate tenderness. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
reSchool-Grade 3-Lucky Boy is an appealing fox terrier who isn't so lucky as the story begins. Neglected by his busy family, Boy (as in "Here, Boy" or "Down, Boy") is bored by his unchanging surroundings. When the little brown dog digs a hole under the fence, he encounters the lonely widower next door, who cleans him up and discovers that he's actually white. The pup lifts the old man's spirits and makes him laugh, thus earning his new name, Lucky Boy. Though he's only escaped next door, the oblivious family doesn't catch on, and are frankly relieved to have gotten rid of him. The author tries to sugarcoat the family's neglectful treatment, indeed, abuse of the animal, and this is too serious an issue to be treated so lightly. Their behavior is never directly confronted or condemned. Boase's expressive pencil illustrations are a delight, and completely capture the nature, joy, and essence of Lucky Boy. The art is reminiscent of Gabrielle Vincent's splendid drawings for A Day, A Dog (Front St., 2000). Unfortunately, even such wonderful pictures and a happy ending cannot compensate for the tale's failures.
Robin L. Gibson, Perry County District Library, New Lexington, OH
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
"The warmth and humor of newcomer Boase's polished prose revitalizes what might otherwise seem a predictable tale, and her sepia pencil drawings underscore the simplicity of her theme. The softly shaded and cross-hatched lines convey the story's innate tenderness." (Publishers Weekly, Starred )

"Just a quiet, gentle story for one-on-one sharing, especially in families with lucky dogs of their own." (Kirkus Reviews )