Dogger a Sweet Story About Stuffed Pals and Brothers and Sisters

When I was a young'un of around six or so, I lost my favorite stuffed animal. His name was Seymour, and he was a little sea lion, a souvenir of a trip to Sea World. I carried him around with me everywhere and took him on long car trips. It was during one such ride that, while dangling him out the window so he'd have a good look at the passing scenery, he slipped from my grip, never to be seen again. Oh, I shouted for my parents to stop the car, but not for several minutes; I must have just sat there in mute shock, unsure of how to proceed. We did double back and make a diligent search, but Seymour was nowhere to be found.

So I sure do sympathize with Dave, the lad who misplaces his beloved, raggedy stuffed dog in Shirley Hughes' Dogger. Dave is an energetic young boy with an expressive face under a head of wavy blond locks. His older sister Bella loves to cuddle up with an assortment of teddy bears at night, and his young brother Joe, like Sunny in A Series of Unfortunate Events, is partial to hard toys that he can gnaw on. But Dave is happy as long as he has Dogger. He doesn't mind that the dog's fur is worn down or that sometimes he becomes so dirty from all that hard playing that he must give him a bath. Much like me, he wants to be sure that his favorite toy isn't missing out on anything, but one day he gets Dogger just a bit too close to the action. Will the two ever be reunited, or must Dogger suffer a fate similar to that of poor Seymour?

As much as I relate to the lost stuffed animal crisis, what I especially like about this book is the exploration of Dave's relationship with his sister. We first learn that she has so many teddy bears that there's only just enough room for her to squeeze into bed at night. Later, when the children buy ice cream cones, she gets a whole ice cream cone to herself, while Dave must share with his dribbly brother. Not that Bella minds sharing; she is all too happy to lend her sad little brother a teddy bear when she realizes he has lost Dogger. But when they go to a carnival the next day and she keeps winning, already-grumpy Dave isn't too happy about it. Everything seems to be going right for Bella; why can't he have the same luck? When his luck does change, Bella has a big hand in it, and it's touching to see this big sister going out of her way to make her brother feel better, even if it costs her something.

Hughes' writing style is engaging, alternating between comforting repetition, such as when she describes the various things Dave sometimes does with Dogger, and longer paragraphs the drive the action, such as when Dave accompanies his mother to "collect" Bella from school. Hughes' illustrations are lovely, full of earthy tones and tiny details. The carnivals scenes are especially fun to peruse since there is simply so much going on; one two-page spread features nearly a hundred different people roaming amongst the various booths, while another gives us a close-up of 13 children in elaborate costumes.

I'd never read any of Hughes' books before, but this one came highly recommended by my friend Beth, and I'm eager to check out more of them. If they're all as charming as Dogger, I have a lot of happy reading ahead of me!