by Moe Zilla

Created on: October 02, 2010

The illustrations are beautiful. Emma Chichester Clark uses watercolor inks along with colored crayons to create some very rich and colorful drawings that really evoke a mood. When Piper the dog remembers talking to his mother as a puppy, there's a pinkish tint to the sky in the background. But when Piper's dragged away to a "lonely crooked house," the sky is brown and grey, and there's black shadows on the hillside.

The book opens when Piper is taken away  by his new master, a "strange, fierce looking man" named Mr. Jones. His mother had warned him to always obey his master, and as Piper leaves, she reminds him that she'll always be proud of him. Piper's master hates the rabbits in his vegetable patch, and tells his new dog to "teach them a lesson." Sure enough, Piper does, but the lesson that he teaches them is how to jump over a friendly dog!

Mr. Jones ties up Piper in a shed without any food, but by the light of the moon, the story takes a very special twist. The little rabbits remember their friend, the dog, and they bring him food to eat every night. ("Piper thought they were very kind, though he didn't enjoy eating lettuce.") Unfortunately, soon Mr. Jones has brought in a new vicious guard dog, and Piper is so frighted by it that he runs away himself!

Emma Chichester Clark is also the book's author, which gives her a chance to tell part of the story with pictures. She shows Piper's long journey away from his master, showing the dark woods, the enormous hills, and then a shimmering lake. Eventually he ends up in the big city, where he stops a car from running over an old lady. Unfortunately, she's so surprised that she falls to the pavement, and "lay there without moving" until an ambulance carries her away.

I liked this story, because it showed the dog's perspective, while also sending a positive message about the rest of the world. While Piper hides from the rain under a bush, there's a crowd of people searching for him in the park. They gently lift him up and wrap him in a warm blanket, then carry him back to the home of the old lady. They knew he was a hero, and when Piper wakes up he's on a soft sofa with a bowl of food waiting for him!

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