The Sailor Dog (book)

Scuppers The Sailor Dog (or simply The Sailor Dog) is a children's book written by Margaret Wise Brown and illustrated by Garth Williams.[1]

The Sailor Dog
First edition
AuthorMargaret Wise Brown
IllustratorGarth Williams
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's literature
PublisherLittle Golden Books
Publication date
1953
Media typePrint
Pages28
ISBN978-0-307-00143-6
OCLC933597

Publication history

The book was originally published in 1953 by Little Golden Books, the year after Brown's death.

An interactive CD-ROM version was published in 1996.[2]

The 2001 edition lacks four pages of color illustrations and text found in the original 1953 edition as well as the cover illustration from the original (replaced by the illustration from Page 23).

Plot summary

Scuppers the dog has an irresistible urge to sail the sea. His little gaff-rigged sailing boat hardly looks seaworthy, with colorful patches on its sails. Though not a luxurious boat, Scuppers keeps it neat and "ship-shape." He has a hook for his hat, his rope, and his spyglass.[3] Unfortunately, Scuppers gets shipwrecked after a big storm.[4] Being a resourceful dog, he soon makes a house out of driftwood.[5]

Eventually, Scuppers repairs his ship and sails away, arriving at a seaport in a foreign land. The street scene is straight from a canine Kasbah. There are lady dogs dressed in full-length robes with everything but their eyes, paws, and tails covered, balancing jars on their heads. Scuppers needs new clothes after all his travels. He tries on various hats and shoes of different shapes and colors.

Life at sea soon calls Scuppers back to his boat. After stowing all his gear in its right place, he is back "where he wants to be — a sailor sailing the deep green sea."

It is believed the story is based on the real-life dog, Scuppers, who resided in the South-Eastern United States and had frequent interactions with Margaret Wise Brown.

Inspiration

In an interview conducted upon the release of the Children's book, Margaret Wise Brown stated that she gained inspiration for Scuppers the Sailor Dog from a neighboring family who owned a dog named Scuppers. She stated that while the neighboring dog wasn't a fuzzy calico collie like what is depicted in the book; and rather a black Labrador Retriever, the name of the dog and the family's frequent nautical adventures were all enough to conjure up Scuppers the Sailor Dog.

In 2017, Margaret's great granddaughter Cal Morgan, who is the current leader of the Atlanta Humane Society, shared pictures of a similar black lab which she had named in honor of the dog from which her great grandmother drew inspiration.

Modern Age Scuppers
Cal Morgan's honorarily named dog Scuppers.

Reception

Kirkus Reviews wrote of the book: "Funny, sagacious pictures by Garth Williams go with the one-dog, he-dog adventures of Scuppers."[6]

References
  1. Buell, Ellen Lewis (May 17, 1953). "A Duck and Others". The New York Times. p. BR28.
  2. Johnson, Jean Nash (July 25, 1996). "Little Golden Books shine brightly on CD-ROM". The Dallas Morning News.
  3. Gosline, Andrea Alban; Lisa Burnett Bossi; Ame Mahler Beanland; Judy Ford (2002). Celebrating Motherhood: A Comforting Companion for Every Expecting Mother. Conari. p. 266. ISBN 978-1-57324-807-5.
  4. Sebesta, Sam Leaton; William J. Iverson (1975). Literature for Thursday's child. Science Research Associates. p. 195. ISBN 978-0-574-18615-7.
  5. Berends, Polly Berrien (1987). Whole child, whole parent. Harper & Row. p. 311. ISBN 978-0-06-091427-1.
  6. "The Sailor Dog". www.kirkusreviews.com. Kirkus Media LLC. 15 June 1953. Retrieved 3 June 2015.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.