Not Afraid of Dogs (by Susanna Pitzer)

"I'm the bravest boy of all!" says Daniel. But he is afraid of dogs. "I'm not afraid of dogs," says Daniel. "I just don't like them." So he avoids them as best he can, even climbing up a lamppost to avoid a dog-walker.

But when his mother agrees to take care of his aunt's dog while she travels, avoiding it becomes even harder. He locks himself in his room, and refuses to come out even for dinner. "He's afraid," says his sister. "Am not!" yells Daniel from his room. But a midnight trip to the bathroom during a thunderstorm, only to find the terrified dog huddled behind the toilet, brings out a feeling in Daniel stronger than his fear: compassion.

Susanna Pitzer shows the story in simple, clear text that lets readers draw their own conclusions. Before the text even starts, Larry Day draws readers in with his enchanting illustrations on the cover and endpapers, combining borderless pen-and-ink drawings with watercolor and gouache paintings. Pitzer's knack for family dialogue is matched by Day's vivid depiction of body language. Together, the two become more than the sum of their parts.

This happens most poignantly in the confrontation between boy and dog, when Daniel's compassion for the terrified dog wins out over his fear and, in a beautiful spread, he drops to his knees to gather the dog into his arms, both of their hearts pounding. This provides a surprisingly strong climax to an already lovely book sure to be cherished by both dog lovers and those who maybe have a bit of fear of their own.

Author: Susanna Pitzer
Illustrator: Larry Day
Publisher: Walker and Co.
Publication date: May 1, 2006
Number of pages: 32
Hardcover price: $16.95
Read Aloud: 4
Read Alone: 6