The Dog-Next-Year

Alison Mews is co-ordinator of the Centre for Instructional Services at
Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Lissa dreams of owning a puppy and believes she will get one next year
when she is seven. What she gets, instead, is her grandparents’ old
dog Jingles when they move into a seniors’ apartment. Her
disappointment is so great that she refuses to have anything to do with
him, but his generous nature finally wins her over.

Carmelita McGrath, an award-winning author/poet, has created a gentle
story in which children’s sympathies will be engaged—both for Lissa,
who doesn’t get her puppy, and for poor old Jingles, whom Lissa is
determined not to love. Lissa’s feelings are realistically described
and her reaction to the dream-shattering news is credible. Jingles has a
distinctive personality, both annoying and lovable, that endears him to
Lissa and contributes to her gradual acceptance of him.

Nancy Keating’s softly colored illustrations are expressive and
capture the sensitive tones of the text. She aptly portrays Lissa’s
dreamy nature and Jingles’s goofiness, and includes details that set
the story firmly in and around St. John’s. Because of the story’s
length and vocabulary, it would work better as a read-aloud for six- and
seven-year-olds. Recommended.