Doggie in the Window
by Elaine Arsenault
illustrated by Fanny
- Winner, Tatoulu Prize
- Long-listed, SYRCA Shining Willow Award
- Commended, CCBC Our Choice
Doggie sits in the window of Monsieur Albert's pet shop watching the world pass by and wishing someone would come and take him home. Along the street comes a ravishing woman, ribbons fluttering, many-colored buttons wobbling as she runs along in her bright green shoes. It is Mademoiselle Madeleine, the seamstress from next door. Doggie decides then and there that he must persuade Mademoiselle Madeleine to adopt him and devises fantastic schemes to gain her attention. But she is looking for help with her sewing, so Doggie must prove that he can be the tailor she needs. Eventually his ingenuity with a needle wins the day.Beautifully illustrated by Fanny, this warm and witty book is bound to appeal to readers big and small with its originality and the charm of its hero, Doggie.
close this panel...a delightful book with bright and colorful illustrations. Doggie in the Window offers an important lesson about holding fast to your dreams and making them come true.
Fanny's illustrations make the shop a paradise of color a conservatory of bright possibilities in a gray world.
With a plucky hero, a plethora of costumes and a pleasing ending, this story attests to the idea that 'even a small dog can have a big dream. And make it come true.
The gentle fantasy and humour of the book create an Old World feel, with shops and their owners given elegant French names, and the whole story evokes a mercantile experience far from the realms of Wal-Mart and Costco.
