Tex

Sylvia Pantaleo is an assistant professor of education specializing in
children’s literature at Queen’s University and the co-author of
Learning with Literature in the Canadian Elementary Classroom.

Tex is a thoroughbred English Fox terrier, bred to be a show dog.
However, Tex is the runt of the litter, and he has an overbite. No one
wants to adopt the puppy so he is taken to a dog pound. An Anishinabay
woman rescues the lonely pup and fulfils Tex’s dream to have a
“dog’s life”—to live in a loving home and be someone’s friend.

Although this book is about a “misfit” puppy, the story is not
sentimental. It is realistic in its portrayal of events and readers come
to care about the fate of Tex. The facial expressions of both the human
and canine characters effectively convey personality and emotion.
Recommended.