A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney

In addition to a wonderful, exuberant story that has a strong educational component, this lovely book has illustrations that are compositionally strong. As in her other works, Ms. Kelly does not water down her art when creating for children. The expressive use of color and design provide an experience far beyond the usual cartoon-like children's illustrations! Clearly an artist in her own right, Ms. Kelly has a gift for fusing material which is at a child's level with lovely small "paintings" which glow and resonate thorughout her work. My kids and I all love this new story as well as her earlier books!

I bought this book for my nephew because, browsing through it , I was struck by the beauty and whimsey of the illustrations. I was unprepared for his reaction. He was enthralled with the way the story unfolded through the fictionalized correspondences and was carried away with the spirit of adventure so thrillingly conveyed. I have ordered this author's book on Hummingbirds and must commend her on her inspired artwork.

I bought A Small Dog's Big Life for my daughter, but I loved reading it as much as she did. Ms. Kelly wrties a story about a fascinating dog and his adventures, and illustrates it with whimiscal, yet beautiful watercolors. Owney is a lovable character, and children will enjoy reading about his travels. After finishing the book, a young reader will also have learned a great deal about geography and 19th century life. I highly recommend this book!

Owney was an amazing dog! I had never heard of him until I got this book for my birthday. I loved learning that a dog went all the way around the world over a hundred years ago! I also loved that the story was al in letters. And I loved the illustrations, too. I give this book an A++