SAILOR'S CHOICE

As any dog fancier knows, the Newfoundland breed gives its heart completely--and once. Sailor is ""...a real Newfoundland dog. A brave hero and a credit to the Crown colony."" Sailor is also the best dog story for this age level to come along since Coatsworth's Jock's Island in 1963. Sailor belongs to Capt. Wight, whose wife loves her house the way he loves his ship. Unfortunately, the house is in a cove where dogs aren't allowed. Sailor is under a sentence of exile as the story opens. Jamie is a self-exile, a foundling being cared for by a poor fish monger with a huge family. He stows away on Capt. Wight's sealer. It's quite a story. Sailor gives himself to Jamie and, before the voyage ends, Jamie is ready to put his future in Capt. Wight's hands. There's quite a lot about methods of sailing and sealing in the 1920's here. The well-realized characters, the snuggly fitted and satisfying plot (which ends up with the Captain's house shifted to a piece of property in an area where dogs are allowed) are invested with the author's sure comic gift for dialogue. Undoubtedly another ALA Notable, at least, for this notable author.