Hunter and His Dog

The book Hunter and His Dog by Brian Wildsmith wasn't what I expected. I realized after reading it that you can't judge a book by its title. The illustrations are so colorful and fascinating. Definitely not the illustrations you'd expect to see with a countryside setting, a farm, or a farmer. The story begins with a mother dog and her puppies. A hunter visits the farm to purchase a puppy to train as a hunting dog. Using a stick, the dog learns to play fetch. Afterward, the dog learns how to carry eggs in his mouth without cracking them. The hunter is finally ready to take the dog hunting! BOOM! The gun goes off! The duck falls to the ground. As the hunter commands, the dog runs to fetch it. The dog takes the duck to an island where he licks its wounds. But...he brings a stick instead of the duck back to the hunter. Again and again, this happens. The dog sneaks bread one evening to give to the wounded ducks...

It is a beautiful and endearing story. There are good lessons to be learned if children can move past ducks getting shot with guns and know they won't die.

 Disclaimer - I received this Ebook in exchange for my honest thoughts.