Hunter and His Dog

By Brian Wildsmith

Book Overview

A hunter teaches his new duck-hunting partner to retrieve sticks and carry eggs gently in his mouth without breaking them. But from their first hunting trip, the dog cannot bear to retrieve the wounded birds for his master. Instead, he brings sticks back to the hunter and takes the ducks to an island where they can heal. One night, the hunter discovers the secret after he follows his dog to the island where he delivers daily bread to the ducks. The hunter is ashamed. He follows the example of his tender-hearted dog and nurses the birds back to health before setting them free. The reissue of this story of compassion is brightly illustrated with his characteristically colorful paintings. Readers will note that the hunter is dressed like a clown and may infer that the dog is wiser than his master.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595721231
• ISBN13: 9781595721235
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Star Bright Books
• Length: 28 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 9.5" x 12.1"
• Age Range: 4 to 7 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 2

Customer Reviews

Artistic with a Kind Message

This book has gorgeous illustrations, as you would expect from Wildsmith, and it has a story that promotes kindness and mercy for animals. My two little girls adore hearing this story read aloud. The dog persuades the hunter to have a heart for the animals he has injured, and the hunter eventually sees the error of his ways. Wildsmith's illustrations seem to be a reflection of the beauty in his soul.

One of my daughter's first favorite books

This is really a fantastic book. It teaches a real lesson, not a contrived one like so many children's books, and by example (of the dog), not just by preaching. The subject is treatment of animals and the morality of hunting, and of making decisions for oneself, despite one's training (programming?). Some parents are squirrely about the words deal or kill or hunt, but I think literature is a great place to introduce these things, because you can TALK about them, unlike in a kids' movie, where you are the last thing in the room they will pay attention to. And if the story isn't good enough, the illustrations (as in everything by Brian Wildsmith) are just breathtakingly beautiful. The length of the book is long enough to help children establish a decent attention span, but not so long as to be unreasonable to expect them to listen. We were lucky enough to get this for a shower gift before our first daughter was born, and are so grateful to have had it. A great book for yourself or for a gift. HIGHLY recommended for all ages.

What a *relief* to find this kind of book...

This tells the story of a trained hunting dog that just doesn't have the heart to bring the ducks back to his owner. He turns the hunter around and they both care for the injured ducks instead of hunting & killing.I do not believe in hunting and I think this a gentle message and story to read to my young son, regarding his family's values and beliefs. It is very hard to find books with such heart-warming messages.I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to open up the world to their children in a refreshing way and not just the way "everyone else goes about life".The illustrations are similar to "The Kiss" style and my 9-month old loves the bold colors and open spaces.Thank you, Mr. Wildsmith, for opening readers' eyes to the sadness and pain hunting creates.