The Poky Little Puppy

by Janette Sebring Lowrey, Gustaf Tenggren (Illustrator)

In this cherished childhood classic, a puppy who is always late coming home one night finds there is no dessert for him.

One of the original 12 Little Golden Books, The Poky Little Puppy has sold nearly 15 million copies since 1942, making it one of the most popular children’s books of all time. Now this curious little puppy is ready to win the hearts and minds of a new generation of kids.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Fiction, Classics, Animals, Dogs, Kids

23 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1942

About the author

Janette Sebring Lowrey (March 2, 1892 – March 17, 1986) was an American children's writer, best known for writing the beloved children's classic, The Poky Little Puppy.

Janette Sebring Lowrey was born in Orange, Texas. Lowrey wrote dozens of books aimed at children and young adults from the 1930s to the 1970s, but The Poky Little Puppy remains her best known, selling over 15 million copies worldwide. Another well-known work of hers was Margaret, a historical fiction young adult novel, which was published in 1950. It was adapted into Walt Disney Presents: Annette, a TV serial which aired on The Mickey Mouse Club in 1958.

Despite her success as an author, Lowrey herself remained in relative obscurity.

Reviews

[Isabella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom's note:

Bella enjoyed reading this book, but couldn't give it 5 stars because of inaccuracies that she couldn't forgive. First one was that strawberries "don't just grow in the grass by themselves," which is true enough. Her second sticking point came after the puppies' mom made them chocolate custard, and my daughter, having been raised in a houseful of dogs her whole life, said, "Those puppies are going to be DEAD after they eat that chocolate."

I love this kid.

[♥ℂĦℝΪՖƬΪℕÅ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ADORABLE ★'s


This book was so stinking adorable. I love the illustrations, they are so amazing. It sure was a favorite of mine when I was a kid. Definitely a good one to read. I love sharing all my favorites with my little niece's :) The Poky Little Puppy is one that's really enjoyable to read over and over.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a Grandma Book.
If you are someone's Nana, it is perfectly acceptable for you to force your grandchildren to listen to this inane story.
Unless, perhaps, you want your grandkids to actually like you.
If so, you need to reconsider this classic.
It's awful. It reads like a Dick and Jane book...minus all the exciting parts that Dick and Jane books are so famous for.

The only way a kid would willingly sit through this is if they are either
A) Too young to crawl away
Or
B) Have only been allowed to watch PBS

The dog is slow and Pokey.
The End.

[Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deceptively simple, it allows the reader to fall into the trap of believing that the one who lags behind ALWAYS gets the dessert. There's a twist here, though!

The worldbuilding was pretty fantastic, with a god-like creature that keeps sending signs to all the anthropomorphic creatures that romp about, giving and taking away favours all willy-nilly, almost as if it was attempting to teach all the characters a very important lesson.

I honestly thought the message was taking over the story a bit too much, though, and the clarity of the story made me question my own value system.

Finally, it's a YA novel that changed my life!



I will Never, Ever dig holes under the fence, EVER AGAIN.


At least there are no sparkly vampires, so I didn't get TOO scared. Plus, I didn't like any of those deserts. And the wild, wild world scares me.

Maybe this book is too racy for me.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a cute as ever. Still a classic. Preschool age.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A disturbing tale about bestiality. Just kidding.

[Lorellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story with simple flow and charming artwork, combining to be very soothing. An excellent piece for my coming child's collection.

Update: At 4 months, she already enjoys looking at the pages. I hope we'll read this many more times.

[Elaina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember this being one of my favorite books that I read when I was a kid!! :)

[Debi Cates · Rating 5 out of 5]

You know what is a great stress-reliever? This book.

Well, actually just about any kids book from my childhood.

I've taken up reading kids books at bedtime, to help me turn off all the day's horrible news, to let go, to combat horrible insomnia. Kids books are doing the trick.

I swear, in just the first two pages of this one, I was smelling that sweet puppy breath, hearing happy little puppy yips. I was recalling the clumsy way puppies run and how that makes us laugh. Then I remembered, in vivid detail, a very particular Texas hot summer afternoon. Sitting on my porch in the shade, I was reading this very book to my oldest Little (my grandchild, she's 21 now). I remembered my dog Dixie, too. Dixie was there with us as we read that afternoon, nudging with her wet nose to be in the middle. (Dixie was one of those dogs. You know: the best dog in the world kind.)

I fell asleep in just 10 minutes, the book open beside me.

Sweet puppy breath....my first Little when she was so little....Dixie....

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

When The Poky Little Puppy was published in 1942, World War II had been raging for several years, and after knocking at America's door, had finally entered. Pearl Harbor, the Nazis, the Holocaust, bombs and death, and destruction. In 1942, it wasn't immediately apparent that the good guys were even going to win the war. I bet if you were a little boy or little girl in 1942, then this story about five naughty little puppies was a much needed escape into a world without war. The worst thing that happened in The Poky Little Puppy was some holes under the fence and getting sent to bed without any dessert. It's been touted as the best selling picture book of all time, still in print, and there's a reason for that. Because in this world today, with war and terrorism and pollution and global warming, it's a much needed escape into a soft colored world in which the worst thing that can possibly happen is a hole under the fence - that can be stopped by a big sign.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the books that sparked my love of reading...I've recommended it and given it as a gift countless times.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I was mom reading this EVERY night this book could get very tedious, but since I am only grandma, reading it every so often, its cute. ❤️🥰

[L. McCoy · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: JUST BECAUSE THIS IS A KID’S BOOK, THAT DOESN’T MEAN MY REVIEW IS APPROPRIATE FOR KIDS! STRONG LANGUAGE AHEAD!

SUPER FAST REVIEW:
Damn, I seriously have mixed thoughts on this.
On one hand, I thought the story was cute, I enjoyed reading it to my dog! The illustrations and puppies are so cute!

On the other hand, their owner is mean. So your puppies come home after they could have died because your dumb-ass just let them run around wherever the fuck they want and instead of “AWW I’M SO HAPPY YOU’RE HERE MY HAPPY LITTLE FRENS!”, you go “Wah, there’s holes under the fence, fuck you, I ain’t giving you treats.” Then in one bit she was gonna give them chocolate, the hell is this bitch’s problem, does she want to kill her dogs? Oh and let’s not forget the end where the poky little puppy doesn’t get any strawberry cake when everyone else does just because he came home later? You couldn’t, gee I dunno, SAVE HIS FUCKING SLICE LIKE ANYONE WITH AN IQ HIGHER THAN A FUCKING GOLDFISH WOULD! Fuck, their owner annoyed me...
So yeah, loved the puppies and the story is cute but I couldn’t help but be annoyed at their asshole of a human.

3/5

[La Coccinelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be the bestselling picture book of all time, but I think it's starting to show its age. It might be sacrilege to even suggest, but I think it could use some updates.

I have no issue with the pictures (which are cute) or the basic story (which is repetitive, but fairly entertaining). My unease stems from the feeding of desserts to dogs... especially the chocolate custard. That's a dangerous idea to be giving little kids, as chocolate is toxic to dogs. Besides, dogs don't need rice pudding or strawberry shortcake, either. I would love to see an updated version where the puppies are eager for their treat of peanut butter or beef jerky (you know, something more appropriate and that won't potentially kill them).

So I can't wholeheartedly recommend this one. It's fun to read as an adult for nostalgia, but I'd be very hesitant to give it to a child without sitting down and explaining that it's very dangerous to give Fido chocolate.

[Jessie · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is a terrible story. 5 puppies keep sneaking out of their yard, and one is really poky (hence the name). The 4 faster puppies get caught disobeying their mother and don't get dessert, while the Poky Puppy sneaks in and eats it all (?) after everyone goes to bed. First of all, dog mom is obviously a terrible mother what with letting her puppies wander around with no supervision. Secondly, it seems weird to reward the slow one for getting home last. Thirdly, I don't ever punish/reward my kid with food so I find the whole "bed without dessert" thing obnoxious.
We bought this in a boxed set and I kind of wish we hadn't. I read about half the text, so that the story becomes a heartwarming tale of 5 puppies who go on walks and eat dessert before bed. The End!

[M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fuck me, this book really did not age well... nowadays any good dog owner knows to not let their dog have chocolate... and the "lesson" this book is supposed to impart is not a very good one. But hey, this book was published in 1942 and some of the things taught to children in that era are best forgotten.

There's some childrens books out there that are absolute classics and worth sharing with kids, even books older than this (i.e. Mike Mulligan And His Steam Shovel) but Poky Little Puppy is definitely not one.

[Jenny Armour · Rating 1 out of 5]

My daughter loves this book. I hate it. I honestly think the only reason she loves it is because she knows it’s super long so it will postpone her bedtime later than a better written shorter story. The main puppy is a jerk and somehow frequently gets rewarded for it. Also so many words to tell such a simple, stupid story. The illustrations are cute. That’s about all it’s got going for it.

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tonight this was a reread for my niece. Still cute as ever. Preschool age.

[R.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cute, fun read for young-readers! Also an inspiration to a short story I just finished writing for And So The Adventures Begin, for children! :)

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolute classic naughty puppy tale. A lovely rhythm and a great message about not digging holes under fences.

[Ian Laird · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned recently in a review that The Poky Little Puppy is considered a classic Little Golden Book beloved of children everywhere. As it happened, indeed as it often happens in these circumstances, a copy then fell into my hands during one of my street library rambles. And while I learned of story’s reputation I didn’t realise how old it is. The Poky Little Puppy is one of the twelve stories first published in October 1942 when Little Golden Books were launched. *

The Poky Little Puppy is the biggest selling children’s story in American history; the only one of the original twelve included in the 75th anniversary boxed set.

So why is it so good? Or is it? The story concerns five puppies who go adventuring in the wide, wide world after they dig a hole under the fence (the illustrations by Gustaf Tenggren are charming). On their adventures they discover animals and insects; a lizard, a brown hop-toad, a little grass snake. Except for the poky little puppy who lurks behind attracted by the smells of supper; rice pudding, chocolate custard and such. The four puppies miss out on supper because their mother is cross with their hole digging, but by staying behind the poky little puppy gets to eat the goodies. This routine is repeated several times until the four puppies reform, fill in the hole and get to eat strawberry shortcake. This time the poky little puppy, coming back late, misses out, feels sorry for himself and sees the writing on the fence – no dessert for digging dogs.

So what does it mean? Puppies should not be adventurous? Mother is always right? Her food choices are certainly not suitable for dogs in my view. A puppy can’t get away with mischievous behaviour forever? I readily admit I am way out at the wrong end of the demographic for this story, but I was puzzled. Maybe it’s an American thing.

* The twelve stories published in 1942 are:
1. Three Little Kittens, by Marie Simchow Stern
2. Bedtime Stories, illus. Gustaf Tenggren
3. Mother Goose, by Phyllis Fraser, illus. Gertrude E. Espenscheid
4. Prayers for Children, by Rachel Taft Dixon
5. The Little Red Hen, illus. Rudolf Freund
6. Nursery Songs, by Leah Gale, illus. Corinne Malvern
7. The Alphabet from A to Z, by Leah Gale, illus. Vivienne Blake and Richard Peck
8. The Poky Little Puppy, by Janette Sebring Lowrey, illus. Gustaf Tenggren
9. The Golden Book of Fairy Tales, by Winfield Scott Hoskins
10. Baby's Book of Objects
11. The Animals of Farmer Jones, by Leah Gale, illus. Richard Scarry
12. This Little Piggy and Other Counting Rhymes, by Phyllis Cerf Wagner, illus. Roberta Harris Pfafflin Petty

[Dawnelle Wilkie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe it's just me but I think the pokey little puppy's mother would get Childrens Services called on her these days. She's neglectful, her punishments are arbitrary, and she sends them to bed without any supper.

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't really understand the moral of this story. Be poky? Don't be poky? Sometimes disobedience has its rewards, sometimes it doesn't? Either way, it's not the most captivating, but the illustrations are cute.

[Beth]

a childhood favorite

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please do not feed your dog chocolate of any kind.

[Al · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why would you give your puppy
chocolate pudding??? Unclear
moral lesson.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book recently because Borders is going out of business, and I don't have a copy of it. Mama has the one I used to read as a child, and I wanted one at the house for when the nieces and nephews come over. The youngest four are of an age to enjoy it.

I just reread it again on 8/14/11, and was surprised at how many creatures of darkness there were in it. Peppered throughout the narrative is a spider, a snake, a lizard, a frog, and some bugs. In short, everything you need for the creepy-crawlie portions of an Indiana Jones movie are espied by the poky little puppy's four brothers and sisters.

What I like best about the book are the morals:
1) Misbehavior and sloth will net you a win two out of three times, and a neutral on the third.
2) Misbehavior and promptness will get you punishment two out of three times, but throwing your slow brother under the bus to your bitch of a mother who has her own eccentric sense of favoritism on the third will net you a prize.

No, really. Mother dog makes no sense. She admonishes the four regular puppies for being bad, and sends them to bed without dessert... TWICE. Then when the four puppies get caught doing the SAME THING they did the first two times, she lets them have strawberry shortcake after they fill in the hole they dug. Obviously the poky little puppy was in on the hole digging in the first place, but he comes home late because he's slow. When he gets there, the strawberry shortcake is gone, but the mother tells him "Well, I would've let you have some, but you're such a tard that you missed out. Sucks to be you." Meanwhile the other puppies are probably sniggering over the matter. It's Stripe and the other mogwais picking on Gizmo all over again.

There's nothing like promoting the value of watching your siblings' backs, and this book was nothing at all like that. But I'm still giving it five stars, because it's still awesome. Check it out, and read it to your children every day.

[Lynanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favorite book from my childhood. I treasure my Little Golden Books and the lessons they taught me. Growing up, my parents didn't have a lot of money. They bought their food in bulk at the early-70's equivalent of Sam's Club/Costco. As a reward for good behavior in the grocery store, they allowed me to pick out a Little Golden Book or coloring book instead of a candy bar. The books were almost the same price as the candy, but my parents knew I'd enjoy the book longer. Every evening before I went to bed, my father would read me one of the books. This particular book he read over and over countless times. I had it memorize and knew when he'd skip a page (whether to speed-up the bedtime routine, gently tease me, or just purely an accident). These books are the reason I love reading. My children have a huge collection of Little Golden Books and each of them have their own copy of The Pokey Little Puppy. My mother gave me her copy from her childhood (one of the original versions) that I hope to pass down to them someday.

[Ms. B · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I was cleaning off a bookshelf, I came across this one. I thought I was rereading it to decide if I wanted to keep or donate. Instead I realized that this may be my first time reading it. The story about five little puppies with a love of dessert was not familiar to me.
Those looking for a cute story about dogs/puppies will like this classic more than me.

[Phoenix2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic! If you know what a little golden book is, then you'll definately know this one. Colourful drawings and cute puppies having adventures.