The Hound from the Pound

Being a Basset Hound family for 40 years, I always check out books related to this dog. I purchased this book for my grandchildren (who also have a Bassset). They love it!

I collect children stories about dogs because I volunteer doing pet therapy and we do a program called read to the dogs. We have children who are shy about reading out loud, read a story to our dogs. Dogs don't tease of judge so the children feel free to read out loud. The dogs just give love. I loved this book, the illustrations are great and the story is well written. I took this to our program and the children loved this story. Like the lesson that dogs from the pound that are trained can be wonderful pets. It really lets children know that a rescued dog is a treasure. Good lesson presented in a fun way.

This is my 20 mo old son's favorite book and has been for months now. He carries it around the house calling "Ah roooo" and will ask anyone to read it to him. He loves looking at the pictures of all the dogs, pointing out the blue basset and calling out Ah rooo whenever he sees him. Ah roo was one of his first and still one of his favorite animal sounds. After having read the book (literally) hundreds of times, I am still charmed by it, although now I can recite it by memory. Great book!

This book is absolutely charming; from the lyrical pose to the victorian-esque illustrations. It will warm hearts everywhere, whether you are a die hearted dog lover or one who believes in "happily ever after". This book will be a wonderful addition to any storytime venue - kids will love it and adults will love reading it. Kudos to these two women for putting together such a wonderful piece of literary art!

"In Manchester Square, in a cottage of stone, Miss Mary Lynn MacIntosh lived all alone. The bedroom was cozy, the kitchen was clean, but the days were too dreary, too doggone routine." So begins Jessica Swaim's HOUND FROM THE POUND, a delightful wag of a tale about a lonely woman who finds companionship (and LOTS of it) from Blue, the titular hound from the pound, who invites all his friends over to hang at Miss Mary's: "Retrievers lined up at the toilet to drink. Chihuahuas swam laps (muy bien!) in the sink. A bloodhound got gummy bears stuck in his snout. Shar-peis used the shower to steam wrinkles out." Mary continues to be overrun by eager pound pups until Sam the Dog Trainer arrives just in time to save the day. The final spreads reveal a yappy ending for everyone (although Jill McElmurry's fashionista poodle bridesmaids do tend to steal the show!). Don't be surprised when kids holler AH-ROOooo and hound you for repeated readings of this fun romp!