An Elderly Bloodhound Gains Respect in A Trusty Old Pal

When I was a kid, I always got excited to see that the grocery store was starting up a new series of Disney books. Usually there would be around 20 books in the series, and they would be rolled out gradually, one a week or so, usually with some sort of special deal attached. Only once did I manage to collect an entire set - a Winnie the Pooh series - but I really enjoyed the ones I got. I'm not entirely sure if Disney's Storytime Treasures Library, published in 1998, is one of those grocery store sets or if it was a mail-order thing, but happening upon these at the library took me back to those childhood grocery store trips.

The neat thing about this particular set is that each of the 18 volumes focuses on characters from a different Disney movie. Hence, there's a lot of variety in terms of setting, and kids are almost certain to find a book featuring characters they enjoy. One of the sweetest in the series is number 15, A Trusty Old Pal.

In this book written by Ronald Kidd and illustrated by Kevin Kidney and Jody Daily, Trusty, the forgetful old hound dog who is a beloved neighbor to the cocker spaniel at the heart of Lady and the Tramp, is a guest in the home of Lady's owners. His best friend, a Scottish terrier named Jock, has gone on vacation for the week, and it's up to Lady, Tramp and their four pups to keep the good-natured bloodhound entertained.

This is a gentle tale that focuses on the challenges of adjusting to a houseguest, especially one who is elderly. While the pups love their "uncle," his slow, rambly ways try their patience, and frisky young Scamp, who takes after his father, has a particularly hard time showing tact. The story encourages children to respect their elders and to understand that they were young and vigorous once and probably have fascinating stories they'd be happy to tell.

The writing is typical for books in a series like this. It's not particularly artistic, but it gets the story across well, and I think Kidd does an especially nice job with the dialogue for Jock and Trusty. The print is fairly large, and most pages only have one or two paragraphs on them, with the illustrations taking up most of the space.

Those pictures really are a delight. Lady, Tramp, Jock, Trusty and the pups are lovingly rendered, and there's also a cameo by Tramp's former flame, Peg, and another by robust Italian restauranteur Tony. I love the picture of the three ladylike puppies sharing a big plate of spaghetti in a tip of the hat to the iconic scene from the movie. The trek through the woods late in the book is very visually appealing, with majestic trees, vibrant tufts of grass and creatures peeking out at the visitors. Fans of the movie should find the book quite satisfying.

Some of the end-of-the-book poems that summarize the theme are better than others, and I like this one a lot, especially the notion that "older folks have tales to tell." I'm all for encouraging intergenerational friendship, and A Trusty Old Pal shows just how fruitful such relationships can be.