Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Not Afraid of Dogs
Illustrator: Larry Day
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 7
Walker Books for Young Readers, 2006 ISBN: 0802780679
Daniel is not afraid of spiders, or snakes, or thunderstorms, but he is afraid of dogs. Of course, Daniel won’t admit that he is afraid of dogs. He insists that he simply doesn’t like them.
Everywhere he goes, Daniel avoids dogs. He climbs the stairs if there is a dog in the elevator, he crosses the street if a dog is walking down the sidewalk, and he leaves the park if a dog is there.
One day he comes home to find out that his mother has agreed to take care of Aunt Rose’s dog Bandit. Daniel is furious, and he refuses to come out of his room, even for dinner. That night Daniel has to go to the bathroom. How can he be sure that he won’t encounter Bandit, and what should he do if he does come nose to nose with the little dog?
In this charming and sensitively written book, Susanna Pitzer shows her readers how our fears can be crippling, and how they often doesn’t make any sense. Sometimes the thing that we are afraid of is actually not a threat at all.
