LUCKY DOG COMES HOME

A farm boy turned mail carrier delivers the best gift of all.

Pale-skinned young George lives on a farm with his parents, two brothers, and cherry pie–baking Grannie; he loves the barnyard animals and his dog, Angus, many of whom tag along when he goes fishing. But war breaks out, and George must leave his beloved farm to become a soldier. By the time he returns, the farm has been sold, Angus and Grannie have died, and, puzzlingly, not one family member is mentioned again. George takes a job as a mail carrier. The neighborhood dogs adore him, and he becomes a small-town Pied Piper whose antics cheerily entertain the neighborhood children. On his route, he spots morose Theresa Morano, still hoping for her sailor son’s return from the war. George finds a puppy and gives it to Theresa, who finds herself revitalized. Grateful, she gives George a gift of cherry pie—his very favorite. Ritchie’s idyllic portrayals of the countryside and town are only briefly interrupted by one snowy, bloodless war scene. The art is delightful, and George is a cheery protagonist, but the story will leave many kids with questions. Theresa sighs over a “one-eared Tom cat that ran off”; that same feline is inexplicably seen on George’s lap at the end. Youngsters may also wonder why the pie box Theresa gives George has the words “Spare that tree” and a canceled George Washington stamp on it.

Sweet but ultimately unsatisfying.