Harry the Dirty Dog
Lexile level:
AD700L
This book is written by Gene Zion. Harry the Dirty Dog is a story about a white dog with black spots
that gets very dirty and turns into a black dog with white spots. Harry hates
baths so when he hears the water running he takes his scrub brush and hides it,
and then he runs away from home. Harry gets very dirty from running in playing
by the railroad, and where people where fixing the street. Harry eventually
started to miss home, and when he went back home his family did not recognize
him. Harry then got out the scrub brush and the kids gave him a bath. His
family recognized him and he was very happy.
Is this a good story?
I think this is a very cute story that dog lovers will appreciate. I really like the happy ending where Harry reunites with his family.
Did the main character overcome the problem? Did it seem natural?
Harry overcame his hatred for baths. He realized that baths are not that big of a deal, that being with family is more important. Harry’s problem in the story was that his family did not recognize him when he was all dirty and that made him very sad. This is when he decided that he needed a bath in order to be recognized by his family. This seemed like a natural solution to Harry’s problem. The story guided the reader through to that ending.
Did the characters in the story grow? Where did we see that happen?
Harry did grow in the story. He overcame his hatred for baths and had a happy ending. Throughout the story the reader sees Harry get dirtier and dirtier to where he is not even recognizable. Harry goes home to be with his family but they do not recognize him even when he does all his old tricks. Harry then decides that he must take a bath. This is where Harry grows as a character, because up until this point he would not take a bath.
Is this a good story?
I think this is a very cute story that dog lovers will appreciate. I really like the happy ending where Harry reunites with his family.
Did the main character overcome the problem? Did it seem natural?
Harry overcame his hatred for baths. He realized that baths are not that big of a deal, that being with family is more important. Harry’s problem in the story was that his family did not recognize him when he was all dirty and that made him very sad. This is when he decided that he needed a bath in order to be recognized by his family. This seemed like a natural solution to Harry’s problem. The story guided the reader through to that ending.
Did the characters in the story grow? Where did we see that happen?
Harry did grow in the story. He overcame his hatred for baths and had a happy ending. Throughout the story the reader sees Harry get dirtier and dirtier to where he is not even recognizable. Harry goes home to be with his family but they do not recognize him even when he does all his old tricks. Harry then decides that he must take a bath. This is where Harry grows as a character, because up until this point he would not take a bath.
What did the author want to
tell me in the story? Was the theme worthwhile?
I think the author wanted to tell the reader that sometimes you have to do something you do not like, but in the end it is worth it because it helps other people. In the story Harry did not want to take a bath, but when he did his family was happy, and he was also happy.
Literary elements that were in this book are simile, repetition, and personification. The simile in the book was “it worked like magic”. The book uses a lot of repetition. When Harry runs away from home the book shows where Harry went. During this part the line that is being repeated over and over is “and he got very dirty”. Harry the dog is personified when the author says “and harry sang”.
The illustration in this book are outdated, the story was written in 1956, and was originally published in black and white. The pictures also include no diversity. There are strictly white people in book. I think that this book could definitely use some updating with including more diversity in the illustrations.
A mini lesson I would do for this book is have the students redraw the pictures to this book. I would not let the students see the pictures of the book, so they would have to listen to the story and pick out a page to the book and redraw that page. When they are finished I would show the students the pictures and then they would write about how their pictures are similar or different to the ones in the book. Similarities could be I made Harry the same size as the illustrator did in the actual book, differences could be I drew Harry with long hair.
Citation:
I think the author wanted to tell the reader that sometimes you have to do something you do not like, but in the end it is worth it because it helps other people. In the story Harry did not want to take a bath, but when he did his family was happy, and he was also happy.
Literary elements that were in this book are simile, repetition, and personification. The simile in the book was “it worked like magic”. The book uses a lot of repetition. When Harry runs away from home the book shows where Harry went. During this part the line that is being repeated over and over is “and he got very dirty”. Harry the dog is personified when the author says “and harry sang”.
The illustration in this book are outdated, the story was written in 1956, and was originally published in black and white. The pictures also include no diversity. There are strictly white people in book. I think that this book could definitely use some updating with including more diversity in the illustrations.
A mini lesson I would do for this book is have the students redraw the pictures to this book. I would not let the students see the pictures of the book, so they would have to listen to the story and pick out a page to the book and redraw that page. When they are finished I would show the students the pictures and then they would write about how their pictures are similar or different to the ones in the book. Similarities could be I made Harry the same size as the illustrator did in the actual book, differences could be I drew Harry with long hair.
Citation:
Zion,
G. Graham Bloy, M. (illustrator). Harry
the Dirty Dog. Harper Collins.
Found
at:
http://www.storylineonline.net/
http://www.storylineonline.net/
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