The Poky Little Puppy facts for kids
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| Author | Janette Sebring Lowrey |
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| Illustrator | Gustaf Tenggren |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Little Golden Books |
| Genre | Children's books |
| Publisher | Golden Books |
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Publication date
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June 28, 1942 |
| Pages | 24 |
| ISBN | 978-0307021342 |
The Poky Little Puppy is a very popular children's book. It was written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. The book first came out in 1942. It was one of the first twelve books in the famous Little Golden Books series.
This story is about five puppies. One of them is called the Poky Little Puppy. By 2001, The Poky Little Puppy had sold almost 15 million copies. This made it the best-selling hardcover children's book ever in the U.S. It even sold more copies than many other famous books, like Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss.
Contents
The Story of the Poky Little Puppy
The story begins with five puppies. Their mother tells them they can play in the yard. But she warns them not to dig holes under the fence. She does not want them to go into other yards.
The Puppies' Adventure
However, four of the puppies decide to dig a hole. They sneak out under the fence to explore. The Poky Little Puppy is different. He stays behind to look at other things. He is a bit slow, or "poky," compared to his siblings.
Later, the four adventurous puppies come home. Their mother sees the hole and scolds them. She sends them to bed without any dessert. She had planned to give them delicious rice pudding.
A Secret Treat
The Poky Little Puppy arrives home much later. Everyone else is already asleep. He finds the rice pudding that his siblings missed out on. He eats it all up without anyone knowing. Then he happily goes to bed.
This happens again the next day. The four puppies dig another hole and sneak out. Again, their mother catches them. This time, they miss out on chocolate custard. The Poky Little Puppy once more arrives late. He finds and eats the chocolate custard. He goes to bed feeling very pleased.
Learning a Lesson
But the Poky Little Puppy's luck does not last forever. On the third day, the puppies are sent to bed without strawberry shortcake. This time, the four siblings decide to be good. They wait until they think their mother is asleep. Then, they sneak out of bed. They work together to fill in the hole under the fence.
Their mother sees them being good. She calls them to come and have their strawberry shortcake. The Poky Little Puppy finally comes home. But he is too late for the shortcake. The hole under the fence is filled in, so he has to squeeze through the fence boards.
He sees his brothers and sisters finishing their dessert. His mother tells him, "Dear me...! What a pity! You are so poky! Now the strawberry shortcake is all gone!" The Poky Little Puppy goes to bed feeling very sad.
The next day, the puppies see a new sign. It says, "NO DESSERTS EVER...! ...UNLESS PUPPIES NEVER DIG HOLES UNDER THIS FENCE AGAIN!" This shows the Poky Little Puppy that being "poky" can sometimes mean missing out.
Other Versions
The Poky Little Puppy has also been made into a TV special. A Christmas special called The Poky Little Puppy's First Christmas was shown. It aired on Showtime on December 13, 1992.
