Not Afraid of Dogs by Susanna Pitzer, Larry Day (Illustrator)

From the Publisher

Daniel is the bravest boy of all!

Daniel isn’t afraid of spiders. He isn’t afraid of snakes. He isn’t even afraid of thunderstorms. And no matter what his sister says, he’s certainly not afraid of dogs — he just doesn’t like them. But there’s no avoiding them when he comes home and his mother is babysitting his aunt’s dog.

Susanna Pitzer’s humorous look into the nature of courage, fear, and friendship has a touching outcome for both the brave and the frail of heart, with expressive illustrations by Larry Day.

Children's Literature

Daniel is "the bravest boy of all." He's not afraid of spiders, snakes, or thunderstorms, but right in Day's eye-catching cover illustration, we see Daniel shimmying up a lamppost as a dog walker strides by with her five charges. Older sister, Jenny, minces no words: "You're afraid of dogs!" Daniel will go to any lengths to avoid them, so it is a shock when he comes home to their city apartment one day and finds his mom holding a small brown-and-white puppy; Aunt Rosa has left Bandit while she's away. Poor Daniel! He's terrified and mortified at the same time, but he won't come out of his room, not even for supper. It takes a loud thunderstorm to bring boy and dog together at last in a nighttime confrontation in the bathroom. As Daniel and Bandit gradually come to an understanding and retreat to Daniel's bedroom, readers will, no doubt, along with boy and dog, breathe a sigh of relief. Bandit is an appealing little puppy inspired, Pitzer says, by one of her Shetland sheepdogs, Zzazu. Daniel's fear and humiliation are well captured both in the dialogue and in Day's expressive watercolor paintings of Daniel's rigid back and his determined push against the bedroom door when his mother tries to come in. The scene of terror in the bathroom is magnified by close-ups of frightened eyes peering over the tub. City-dwellers or not, readers will be both amused and sympathetic, and perhaps inspired to confront some fears of their own.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3-Daniel is the bravest boy in the world, able to face spiders, snakes, and thunderstorms...but he "just doesn't like" dogs. When his aunt goes on vacation and leaves her pet, Bandit, with his family, he stays in his room and refuses to come out. Later that night, he needs to use the bathroom and is startled by Bandit, who has been frightened by a thunderstorm and is cowering behind the toilet. Daniel's anxiety slowly turns to astonishment as he realizes that he can comfort the pup-and that he does like dogs after all. The boy's connection to Bandit rings absolutely true, as does his insistence on his lack of fear. Day's hilarious illustrations, done in pen and ink with watercolor and gouache, show the truth behind his bluster, starting with the comical cover picture of Daniel climbing a lamppost to avoid a group of passing canines. Text and pictures work on every level, and readers will remember Daniel and Bandit long after they put the book down.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

This exploration of a child's fear of dogs focuses on the main character, Daniel, a boy of four or five whose whistle-in-the-dark mantra is, "I'm the bravest boy of all." He maintains that he isn't afraid of dogs; he just doesn't like them. But through his sister's teasing comments and from the illustrations, the reader can see that this little boy is clearly scared of any and all dogs. Daniel has to face his fear when his family takes care of an aunt's dog. During a thunderstorm in the middle of the night, Daniel cares for the terrified dog, overcoming his own fear in the process. This encounter between the frightened boy and the even more frightened dog is sensitively handled, capturing a dog's ability to win over the heart of a caring human. Day's illustrations in pen and ink with watercolor wash convey Daniel's feelings and create a winning personality for the little dog, appropriately named Bandit. (Picture book. 3-6)

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