Dog Comes - International Award Novel

Author: (Austrian) Christine N?stlinger
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The children of the dogs have all grown up, and his wife has passed away many years ago. So the dog decides to leave home and go to the vast world. The dog first meets a cheating pig and helps the pig realize the dream of becoming a star. After breaking up with the pig, the dog accidentally enters a school and is mistaken by the bear principal as a substitute teacher. The dog has no choice but to play along. It teaches without sticking to conventional methods, letting the children learn through practice, and becomes the most popular teacher. But the good times didn’t last long. The dog’s impersonation as a teacher was discovered by the education bureau, and the police came to arrest it. Fortunately, with everyone’s help, the dog managed to escape. As a result, the bear principal was dismissed, and he began a life of exile with the dog. The bear was dissatisfied with the current state of education and tried to change it through politics, so he disguised himself as a woman to participate in the legislative election. Unfortunately, he was exposed by his political opponents. At a critical moment, the dog bravely saved the bear and, with the joys and sorrows of venturing into the world, returned to his hometown together. This book is one of the highest international children’s literature awards—the International Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning works.
The children of the dogs have all grown up and become independent, and the dog’s wife has also passed away many years ago. So the dog decided to leave home. He planned to leave forever and never return. He sold his house and apple orchard, and also sold his collection of stamps and television, as well as all his books and his grandmother’s oil paintings. When the dog left, he held a red suitcase in his right front paw and a blue travel bag in his left front paw. He wore a black wide-brimmed hat on his head and a red and white striped long scarf around his neck. To prevent the ends of the scarf from dragging on the ground, the dog wrapped the scarf around his neck three times. He also wore a green travel waist bag around his waist. The dog wanted to travel far away and explore the vast world. “I’m not young anymore, but my experiences aren’t enough,” the dog said to himself. He thought, “Perhaps there is still something waiting for me in the vast world, and perhaps there will still be a place for me to use my skills!” The dog could do all kinds of things. He was a fully qualified carpenter who had passed the exam and could skillfully whistle nine songs. He had the skills to graft roses and cultivate cacti, and was also a certified lifeguard and firefighter. The egg noodles, dumpling soup, beef stew with potatoes, and vanilla pudding he made were satisfactory and impeccable. The dog could weave patterns with four different colored yarns, and the sweaters and pants he knitted were fantastic. He also had some knowledge of navigation, agriculture, and astronomy. In short, the dog could be of great use in many situations. Additionally, the dog’s legs were very agile, allowing him to run fast and far. His hearing and vision were excellent, and his sense of smell was particularly strong. When the dog left his home, the sun had just risen above the horizon, casting the sky in a brilliant red. He placed the house key under the doormat outside. This was an arrangement he had made in advance with the donkey who had bought the house. By midday, the dog had already gone far beyond the fields in the direction he was heading. From somewhere, the sound of a church bell came, ringing twelve times in a row. “I think it’s time for lunch!” the dog liked to talk to himself. This wasn’t a habit he had developed after the children left home to make a living and his wife passed away. Even when the dog was a child, he had already liked talking to himself. For this reason, others often mocked him. But the dog wasn’t that foolish—he would never give up his beloved habit just because someone mocked him. P1-2