Video of the Week--No Roses for Harry!
RSSFrom SLJ February 2005
Teresa Bateman, Brigadoon Elementary School, Federal Way, WA -- School Library Journal, 01/31/2005
videocassette. color. 11:49 min. (closed-captioned) with tchr's. guide. Weston Woods (www.scholastic.com/westonwoods. 2004. ISBN 1-55592-541-3. $60; also avail. cassette with paperback book, ISBN 1-55592-699-1: $14.95; CD with paperback book, ISBN 1-55592-708-4: $18.95, CD with hardcover book, ISBN 1-55592-705-X: $29.95.
PreS-Gr 3-Gene Zion's delightful spotted dog, Harry, is back in another attempt at independence and self-expression (HarperCollins, 1958). Harry's gift from Grandma is a mixed blessing--it's a snuggly dog sweater...with roses on it. No self-respecting hound would be caught dead in such a thing. People laugh at Harry. Other dogs bark. He does his best to ditch the offending garment, with little success. Then nature, in the form of a bird, takes a hand (or is that a beak?) and he is free at last! Ah, but what to do when Grandma visits? Margaret Bloy Graham's soft watercolor and ink illustrations are a little old-fashioned, but they animate well for this presentation. The male narrator has an expressive voice, and the original background music is both bouncy and quirky--a lot like Harry himself. While this book is a little dated, Harry has a timeless quality that should endear him to a new generation.
