Meg Kearney

Told from the viewpoint of the dog, the book begins with "Back in the before time" when he was a stray trying to make his way in a dog eat dog world replete with a dog catcher. The dog catcher isn't a bad thing though because he brings the dogs to the shelter, and one by one, they're adopted, except of course for the three-legged protagonist. The dark page "My heart was a cold, starless night" will break readers' hearts. It did mine.

A beautiful choice for story time. Share with Two Bobbies.

We meet Trouper, a black lab, who runs with a pack of dogs in a run down part of a city. It’s a hard life and things get worse when animal control lures the hungry dogs into the van. The dogs are taken to an animal shelter and separated into cages. At his lowest point, it seems as though Trouper is not going to be adopted. The story takes a heart warming turn as Trouper finds a little boy to love him. Trouper has a warm bed, food and a caring owner who runs with him.
This book makes you show more want to go rescue a dog. Readers will fall in love with the 3 legged Trouper and be thankful for the new life he has. On the streets, Trouper faced mean boys who threw rocks at him and didn’t know what it felt like to be loved.
The artistic quality of this book is outstanding. The emotions conveyed through the shadows of light and dark are very powerful. The love that Trouper feels for the boy who rescued him comes through in the words and art. It’s really very well done. The shelter is shown in a positive light. Given that this book is for younger readers, that is probably for the best. I like that it is based on a true story. The author let the illustrator use her rescue dog to portray Trouper in the book. Young readers tend to be drawn to books about dogs and this would be a great addition to an elementary school library. It would make for a good read aloud or a silent reading choice. It would be perfect for a dog book display or to share with students who want to learn about animal shelters. show less

I was iffy about this book at first under the circumstances of the main dog character only having three legs. I was afraid that it might make the kids sad, but after reading it, they got really involved. They began sharing their own stories about adopting pets and how much they loved them. This is truly a great book for kids who have a love for animals and a big heart on the subject.

Based on a true story, this account of the adoption of a three-legged stray dog is a touching story of hope, friendship, and acceptance. The author, who was herself adopted, includes a photo of the real Trouper.