Lassie Come-Home: An Adaptation of Eric Knight's Classic Story

Gr 1–3—Commemorating the 75th anniversary of Knight's novel, this title tenderly retells the classic story of a dog who sets the gold standard for loyalty. As in the original, Joe and his family have fallen upon hard times and must sell their beloved canine to the Duke of Rudling to make ends meet. But stalwart Lassie remains devoted to her boy, traveling more than 400 miles to find Joe again after the Duke takes her to his home in Scotland. Though Hill's simplified picture book version retains the same basic plot, it's much gentler in tone. The soft pencil and watercolor illustrations, though endearing and appropriate for this age level, depict idyllic settings that don't convey the hardscrabble existence of a Depression-era, Northern England mining town or the intensity of the dog's journey. Indeed, Lassie's long and arduous trek is condensed into a montage of upbeat images: the collie leaping spiritedly over a stream and trotting cheerfully through a field. Hill's quiet prose is elegant, but the more dramatic elements of the plot are tempered—as is the impact of the triumphant return.