Orville: A Dog Story (Bccb Blue Ribbon Fiction Books (Awards))
Grade 2-5-Orville, an ugly, homeless dog that has just about given up on life, is discovered one morning by a farmer and his wife who decide he will make a good watchdog. After they clean him up, they realize he is bigger and wilder than they thought, so he is chained to the barn and left alone to keep the rats away. He barks to let the world know just how miserable he feels, but the more he barks, the more the farmer stays away. Just when it is decided that Orville must go to the pound, a young woman who works nights in a factory moves into the small house across the road, and Orville falls in love. After watching Sally's comings and goings, he devises a plan, struggles free of his chain, and quietly enters her house while she is sleeping. Finally gaining acceptance, Orville moves in with Sally and finds the perfect home. Poignant and sweet, the narrative reads like a country-and-western song about sorrow and loneliness: "-he would wonder what had ever become of his mother, or the brother he had loved the best. And then it would be time to start barking." Parker's signature watercolor-and-ink illustrations are sketchy and imprecise. He takes liberties with the size and shape of Orville as well as with Sally's living room. The effect is more impressionistic than realistic, but allows the text to shine. Readers who have ever loved a homely pet or felt the pain of being misunderstood will identify with Orville.Wendy Woodfill, Hennepin County Library, Minnetonka, MNCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.