The story is simple and all too realistic. A dog is thrown out of a car and abandoned. After vainly trying to catch up with the car, the dog darts into the street,causing a car accident. People are injured. The cars catch fire. Emergency vehicles and personnel arrive. During all of this, the dog is a forlorn observer. After wandering by the water and into town, the dog searches for food in back alleys and is turned away. At the end, he finds what seems to be a friend, a small child.
While this is a simple story, the artwork adds depth, shading, and suspense. If you want to encourage your intermediate or middle school children to write, this book will provide inspiration. Have them write a sentence or two for each page. A Day, a Dog can also be used to discuss perceptions and how they can differ. I shared this book with a number of people of all ages. While they all liked the book, their perceptions differed dramatically, from "This is a very sad book" to "I liked the fact that it was realistic and that there was a hopeful ending." Share this with your family and see what everyone thinks.
The book was originally published in France under the title "un jour, un chien." The first American edition of the book was published in the United States in 1999 by Front Street. The author, Gabrielle Vincent, has written a number of children's books. According to her American publisher, "Gabrielle Vincent considers herself a painter, not a writer: she studied drawing and painting at the Fine Arts Academy in her native Brussels." Her popular "Ernest and Celestine" series is still available in many public libraries.
There are a wide variety of wordless books available for children of all ages. As I have learned, wordless picture books are not just for the very young. Many will appeal to all ages and others may be designed for older children.
