The Further Adventures of a Lucky Dog: Owney, U.S. Rail Mail Mascot
Grade 1–3—Owney lives at the Albany, NY, post office circa 1890. Based on a true story, but with little background information, this narrative follows the pup as he travels around the United States in railroad cars. An author's note explains that Owney was real, his travels true, but that this book's details are imagined. Here, the dog rides cross-country through Chicago and on to Oakland, CA. Everyone working on the trains and handling mail knows him. In California, a little girl finds him and takes him home until it is time to return to the train. In Chicago, he attends the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition and rides the first Ferris wheel with Thomas Edison. The book is heavily illustrated with maps from the period. Some are actual maps, some are approximations, and they vary in detail and accuracy. This title also includes a packet of postcards in a pocket on the inside cover meant to look like a mail bag. This book could be useful for a classroom activity on U.S. maps, and late-19th-century travel. However, it is text heavy, not easy to follow on the first read, and sometimes a little too cutesy. This book has appeal on many levels but also seems to miss the mark on others.—Susan Lissim, Dwight School, New York CityEND