School Library Journal Reviews: Buddy Unchained
Filed under: Pets 911 - January 1, 2007
Blair Christolon
School Library Journal Reviews
January 1, 2007
Buddy Unchained
BIX, Daisy. Buddy Unchained . illus. by Joe Hyatt. unpaged. Web sites. Gryphon . 2006. Tr $15.95. ISBN 0-940719-01-0 . LC 2006923847.
K-Gr 2-
A yellow, mixed-breed dog narrates his life story. Buddy’s former owner did not feed him enough or pro-vide clean water, and frequently left him chained outside. But things changed for the better when the animal was res-cued and taken to a shelter, where he was subsequently adopted by a caring family. Attractive, realistic paintings invite readers to look into Buddy’s eyes and experience his emotions, both of neglect and of contentment in his new home. The author appends additional information about how to help an abused dog.
Unfortunately, the list of suggested Web sites is uneven. Pets911 is the most appropriate for this age group, while the others should be used with caution with young children (e.g., Dogs Deserve Better includes disturbing photographs of abused dogs). The address given for ASPCA’s “Fight Cruelty” is incorrect. Use this story to supplement other heartwarming pet tales and skip the Web sites.-Blair Christolon, Prince William Public Library System, Manassas, VA