While on vacation, I picked this book up at the airport in Bali for really no good reason. I had at least 12 books and 7 graphic novels on my Kindle to peruse during my ungodly long flight back to the U.S. (17 hours forcryin’outloud). But, I’d heard lots of great things about Hwang’s first book The Hen Who Dream She Could Fly – often referred to as the Korean Charlotte’s Web so I figured, why not? In The Dog Who Dared to Dream, I was expecting a somber, perhaps even heartwarming fable about a dog’s loyal spirit à la Hachiko and the connections humans make with animals. Instead, it’s a 169 pages of melodramatic puppy-napping, animal cruelty, and a one-dimensional caretaker – whom the animals dub “Grandpa Screecher” because of his penchant for screaming at them.

After finishing the book on the plane, I dropped it on the tray table with a slap and then proceeded to complain to my husband about this pointless and bizarre little novella. Our flight attendant, stopped by my seat to eagerly ask, “Would you recommend the book? I noticed the cover while you were reading it and I love dogs!” And since I have no spine or conviction, I said, “Umm, yes, I think you’ll like it!” ( )

A lovely tale told from a dog’s perspective of her life and love until the day she died to be either her owner. ( )

A quick & easy to read story. But gosh darn it was just sad on every page - hard to imagine the "right" time to want to read a sad, sad story told by a puppy, about losing mom, and losing siblings, and losing friends & lovers, and losing children, and ultimately losing life. ( )

Korean folkloric tale of a dog's life. Realistic depiction of use of dog as an asset, yet unsentimentally told from the dog, Scraggly's perspective. Memorable and good material for oral storytelling. NOT suitable for young children, because of references to sex, death and abuse. ( )

Sun-Mi Huang’s The Dog Who Dared To Dream is a deceptively simple story of a small dog’s life, told through sweetly self-contained chapters, where the world and its machinations are seen through a combination of the dogs’ eyes, a wise cat’s pronouncements, and an omniscient narrator’s detachment. Each chapter is beautifully titled. Occasional tiny illustrations show the growth of tree and pets, adding enticingly to a storyline whose internal urgency makes even the simplest thing oddly compelling.

Offering a stunningly evocative description of Korean culture and village life, while keeping the world small and self-contained, The Dog Who Dared To Dream is a gently haunting read of sickness, health, relationships animal and human, trust and hope. The ending has a breathless timelessness that is both unexpected and natural, like the growth of a tree or the life of a pet. Not a children’s book, this is more a cultural fable for animal lovers, and I loved it.

Disclosure: I bought it for the title and the cover, and I really enjoyed it. ( )