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THE THREE TIMES LOST DOG by Karla Hocker

THE THREE TIMES LOST DOG

By

Pub Date: Sept. 6th, 1967
Publisher: Atheneum

Little boy too young for responsibility (his parents say) wants dog, hides dog, gets dog after assorted difficulties and disappointments. After you write off the all-too-familiar plot, what's left is the contrast between a congenial household (Christian's) and a contentious visiting family; and the anxiety of a youngster (again Christian) visiting his injured parents in the hospital. The trouble is that it's Christian's (Pee Wee for short stature) story all the way, and though he's ""going on ten,"" his chief concern is being considered a ""big boy,"" a stage most American children pass through in nursery school. To get him from overprotected to appreciated, to get the dog from hideaway to bedside, takes over a hundred pages, and kids won't find enough in Pee Wee or the plot to be bothered.