The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
Farley Mowat
ill. Paul Galdone
(Bantam Books, New York: 1984)
First published by Little, Brown in 1957. Two pieces in this book first appeared in magazines - one in the Atlantic Monthly, one in the Saturday Evening Post.
READ: June - July 2008
Who doesn't know and love this book? I read it as a kid, of course, but recently re-read it during my daily commute (as are, indeed, the majority of my books consumed these days). Mowat has a very familiar, conversational, and almost intimate tone in this book, which made me, the reader, feel like he was telling me these stories directly, and I felt so pleased that he was sharing them with me. However, I find it an oddly suspicious coincidence that no sooner had I finished reading this book than Rion had his own skunk encounter. My telling of Rion's misadventure is neither as eloquent nor as entertaining as Mowat's rendition of Mutt and his numerous escapades (and, for that matter, numerous trysts with skunks). Perhaps I am biased toward dogs, but all in all, an enjoyable read.
1 comment:
I was a huge Farley Mowat fan when I was younger, largely thanks to this book: I think I read everything he wrote, at least twice. The man could spin a yarn, whatever his other failings.
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