Mister Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself (A Little Golden Book)

"Mr Dog: The Dog Who Belonged to Himself" is a fondly remembered book from my childhood. Originally published in 1952 (when I was 5) it stayed with me because it is about a dog named Crispin's Crispian. My first dog was named Christmas (Chris for short) because I got him as a Christmas present at about the same time. I'm sure the book played a role in my early reading and stuck with me because of the similarity of Mr. Dog's name to that of my first dog. The style is simple and the story is charming, if somewhat scandalous. Mr. dog, a bachelor, lives in his own two story house and runs his own life. The boy's lineage and situation is less clear, but by chance he comes to live with Mr. Dog in Mr. Dog's house. Presumably, this stuck a chord with me and led to my eventual search (in 2009) for the book. The search is a story in itself, but suffice it to say that I did not remember the actual title of the book -- only that it's main character was named (I thought) "Crispin's Crispin". Searching for that string turned up a Wikipedia entry on "Crispin", about saints Crispin and Crispian, of whose existence I was previously unaware. Scanning the article, I found a footnote about the book and learned of my faulty memory as to the title. I did not expect to find the book still in print but was delighted to find that it was recently reissued as a "Classic". The story is as fresh and original today as it was in 1952 and might conceivably lead a child to "thinking outside the box". Highly recommended for beginning readers.

This was my favorite book when I was a child. The original copy I had got damaged in a flood. Years later, I found one copy in an AC Moore, and I bought it to read to my son. Mysteriously, that one disappeared, and I looked quite a bit since to replace it. On a whim, I recently checked Amazon, and I was delighted to see rest had it very reasonably priced. It arrived promptly in fantastic condition. It's sort of an odd story, and I don't know why I loved it so much, but even at 41 years old, it brings me such joy.

The classics are still the best.

"Mr. Dog" (the original title of this book) is one of my favorite books of all time, read to me as a child (1950's) and read to my own children. Written by Margaret Wise Brown (who herself had a dog named Crispin's Crispian), and illustrated by the great Garth Williams, Crispin's Crispian (the dog who belonged to himself) is an independent, kindly, grown-up pooch who walks (mainly) on his hind two legs with a cane, wears an old bathrobe and slippers, eats bread and milk for breakfast and likes strawberries. He lives in a two-story dog-house surrounded by a white picket fence, dogwood trees and dog-tooth violets, with a kitchen, dining room and bedroom upstairs. (I assume he lets himself out when he "needs to see a dog about a man"). A kindly soul, he befriends and "adopts" a "boy's little boy" who (before the days of child welfare police) also belongs to himself. The boy and Crispin's Crispian bond, eat a home-cooked dinner together and fall asleep in their own little beds and "dream their own dreams." It's the story of a perfect day, innocent friendship and love at first sight.As for the critics of this book: Give me a break! Do you live in a yurt? So what if he smokes a pipe? He doesn't wear pants, either. Furthermore, dogs eat MEAT, not tofu. Mr. Dog also likes raw eggs. And the Boy's Little Boy balanced his meal with a "bright green vegetable" and even gave some to Crispin's Crispian to put in his bone soup. I'm sure Mr. Dog's bread was whole grain and his milk was skim, and he probably purchased the strawberries he so liked from his local organic farmer's market. Moreover, he bought his bone from his local butcher (not Winn Dixie) and took it home in a brown paper bag (not plastic). If you want to cultivate good and balanced eating habits (dairy, grains, meat and leafy green vegetables), and support local growers, then I'd give this book "two paws up" for intelligent and responsible life choices.The only draw-back to this edition is that some of Garth Williams' illustrations are missing from the original, and the book is "abridged" (the book doesn't contain the wonderful line "So they played together, and the boy threw him sticks to chase all through the shining, sun-drenched morning" or Williams' two-page illustration of this magical moment). Golden Books has done this with a number of re-issues for reasons I can't fathom.

Our granddaughter loved this book.

This book gives opportunities to be silly and the pictures are cute! My son has me read this to him every night

Good quality just like I remember.

Sweet, thought-provoking story. A conversation starter while interacting with children.

One of my very favourite books as a child, but don't buy this version - get it in the Garth Williams Treasury of Best Loved Tales instead! This one has a couple of missing pages and the picture quality is nowhere near as good as the big Treasury. However, if you want a perfect little stocking-filler or gift for a sponsored child, your child's schoolmate, a grandson or nephew, look no further! It's a really cheap price and a wonderful little story. I actually ordered 4 or 5 copies and have sent them to all my favourite little boys.Mister Dog is a charming, self-contained little character who loves to take himself for walks and play with the other animals, until one day he bumps into a homeless little boy. The two bond immediately and the boy comes to live with the dog in his lovely little house. This story will really create that cosy sense of security and stability that children need, all being right in the world of dog and boy.

Beaucoup de texte mais les tres jolis dessins captivent l'enfant. Mister Dog rencontre un petit garcon seul, il lui propose de venir habiter chez lui, ils vont faire les courses ensemble, preparent le diner et vont se coucher, dans la maison de Mister Dog.

good book, good pictures and narration also very good.page quality could have be improved.