A Small Dog's Big Life: Around the World with Owney
Kindergarten-Grade 4–In 1889, a winsome stray wandered into a post office in Albany, NY, where he was quickly adopted by the staff. His intrepid spirit soon led him to jump aboard the mail cars of various trains and travel to post offices all over the country, where clerks gave him tags to commemorate his visits. His adventures captured the public's imagination and, in 1895, he made a trip around the world as the official mascot of the U.S. Postal Service. Kelly tells Owney's story through fictional letters written by people who may have encountered the dog along his journey. In most cases, the voices are lively and distinctive, although they suffer at times from the necessity of stilted explanations, and some of the typefaces are difficult to read. The two maps included are fairly useful, but the one depicting Owney's U.S. travels lacks a key. The watercolor illustrations are serviceable, but facial expressions (both canine and human) are disappointingly bland and uniform. An author's note ties the story together, separates fact from fiction, and reveals the slightly disturbing details of Owney's demise. Overall, this is an effective treatment of a tale that's strange but true. Young dog lovers will be fascinated.–Rachael Vilmar, Atlanta Fulton Public Library, GACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.