The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas Brings Friendship and Generosity

When I was little, one of my favorite books was the Little Golden Book The Poky Little Puppy. As I’ve always been on the poky side myself, I related to this pup that has such a hard time keeping up with his siblings, in part because he takes more time to stop and notice everything around him. I’m not sure how it took me this long to discover it, but this year I found out that another book featuring this peripatetic pooch was published, this one with a Christmas theme. With so much to see and do at this time of year, it’s little wonder that the Poky Little Puppy would be distracted. Which of the sights of the season would occupy his attention?

The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas has a different tone to it than the original book, which emphasizes Poky’s curiosity and unintentional disobedience. Late in the book, he’s chastised for being naughty, but ultimately the book concludes with him home safe and happy. Here, it seems that Poky’s mother is more understanding of his meandering ways, and while she implores him to be home on time, her response to his inevitable tardiness is not as harsh as in the first book. In any case, Poky’s vagabond ways merely set the stage for the most significant part of the story, which comes later.

In this book, a skunk named Herman helps Poky get out of a jam. Later, when Herman is in trouble himself, Poky finds a way to help him. The message is one of friendship and of being willing to give to others even if it’s at your own expense sometimes. Since Poky’s slow and inquisitive ways are what lead him to make the friendship and to hit upon the solution to his friend’s problem, this book celebrates Poky’s natural disposition instead of scolding it. That unquenchable curiosity about the world gets him into trouble, but it also gets him – and others – out of it.

As this was written about 50 years after the original, we don’t have the same author and illustrator on board this time around. The writer in this case is Justine Korman, while the illustrator is Jean Chandler. Looking at the book, even if I didn’t know how much later this was published, I would have guessed that the illustrator was different, but the look is similar enough that this is clearly the same character. The writing is solid, but the style is clearly not quite that of the original author. Also, the prominence of the family with whom the dogs live distinguishes it from the first book.

While The Poky Little Puppy is one of America’s most enduringly popular picture books, having sold about 15 million copies, I don’t see The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas becoming that iconic. It’s merely an afterthought of a sequel. Nonetheless, the poky little puppy continues to appeal to inquisitive children, and the emphasis on the joy of giving to a friend in need makes this an enjoyable Christmas tale.