Reviews

Along Came a Dog by Meindert DeJong

roseleaf24's review

2.0

2.5 stars rounded down because of the high rating this book has overall. This book ended well and, at its bones, is a story of a friendship between a dog and a chicken. But in the first two chapters, a stray dog arrives at a farm, and the man drives it further out to the country to get rid of it. Twice. On the first day of spring, a chicken goes out into the barn yard. Her feet get stuck in mud and just come off because they'd frozen over the winter. The other chickens try to peck her to death because she's different. I won't spoil beyond what happens in the first two chapters, and I'm trying to leave room for the ways life was different sixty-five years ago, but this was pretty brutal and a challenge to read.

ashleyselland's review

4.0

This book was fun to read aloud to my 9 & 7 year olds. We enjoyed comparing the chickens to our own chickens. We loved the ending and thought it was sweet.

apochemu's review

5.0

I gave this to Gabe to read on his own and he loved it so much that I wanted to read it too. I loved it just as much. A sweet, simple story. I loved the dog the most, almost made me want one!

justicepirate's review

2.0

I gotta say, this book was a bit boring most of the time. Also, I felt like the author would write the same sentence twice in a row but with words rearranged throughout the entire thing. It was a little annoying at times. However, the story was heartfelt and cute. My sons and I both through similar things about this book. We enjoyed the ending and the last chapter was the best one!!

Is it really possible for a chicken to lose its toes in the manner she did in the beginning of this book? Poor thing.

goldentortoisebeetle's review

This is a story about a man and his love for a little toeless red hen.

mrjesse's review

5.0

Along Came A Dog is an adorable story about a loyal stray who ends up best friend and protector to an outcast chicken. It doesn't have a sad ending like some dog books do. It's a feel-good book with a simple plot, endearing characters, and some animal antics!

poplartears's review

3.0

This was an different sort of book for us as it is told mostly from the animals' perspectives. It was interesting to look at things from each animal's point of view, how the dog knew the man was good, how the rooster felt about the chickens, how the little red hen felt about the other chickens and the man. Blake found the violence of the chickens a little disconcerting at first. The development of the relationships between the dog, the hen and the man and the way the three are able to communicate with one another is charming and realistic. In his own way the man is a naturalist and we see how his observations of life around him influence his behavior.

minda's review

relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

erinnicole's review

informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

theblessedeveryday's review

1.0

This is truly one of the most boring books I’ve ever read in my life. We valiantly tried to do this as a family read-aloud. I forced the first 100 pages before allowing my kids to abandon it. My daughter, not usually sneaky, then guiltily admitted she has tried hiding it under the couch just so we wouldn’t have to read it for school time. I finished the last 70 pages on my own purely out of determination and wanting to mark it as read on my Goodreads list.