Helpful Score: 4
Hachiko is a wonderful young puppy who lives with his master, Professor Ueno. Each morning the Professor tells Hachiko these same words, as he boards the train: "What a good dog you are. What a fine dog you are. Hachi you are the best dog in all of Japan." And every afternoon, at 3 o'clock on the dot, Hachiko arives back at the train station to greet his owner once again. However, one day, the Professor doesn't step off the train. So Hachiko waits. He waits for ten years. Not even the kind young boy known as Yasuo can persuade Hachiko to leave his post, and take shelter in a warm home. Soon Hachiko is known around the country, and the world, as the dog who never gave up on his owner's return.
I love animal stories, and I've always been interested in the Japanese culture, so I adored HACHIKO WAITS. Leslea Newman has done a marvelous job of capturing the love an animal - whether a dog, cat, etc. - holds for his or her owner, as long as they treat him/her well. The prose is wonderful, and will hold young readers enamored for hours, while the gorgeous black and white illustrations by Machiyo Kodaira bring the story even more to life. This is an absolute must read for all animal lovers.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
I love animal stories, and I've always been interested in the Japanese culture, so I adored HACHIKO WAITS. Leslea Newman has done a marvelous job of capturing the love an animal - whether a dog, cat, etc. - holds for his or her owner, as long as they treat him/her well. The prose is wonderful, and will hold young readers enamored for hours, while the gorgeous black and white illustrations by Machiyo Kodaira bring the story even more to life. This is an absolute must read for all animal lovers.
Erika Sorocco
Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper
Helpful Score: 2
I found this book incredibly heartbreaking and it stayed with me for a very long time. I found it sad that the fictional aspects of the story - that of the child who grew to a man who cared for this dog - gave the book more hope and positivity. All in all, I was deeply, deeply moved by this story, and of the Japanese, who collectively, have lovingly honored this dog for generations. It is a testament to their collective caring as a society, as well as the faithfulness of the breed and of this particular dog himself.
Helpful Score: 1
"...shows us the very best in life: loyalty, devotion, our ability to love, to nurture, to care for someone other than ourselves - all taught by a beloved, intelligent, and heroic dog. The voice and the art are authentically Japanese, though the heart of the book and its meanings cross all cultures..."
A touching story of a dog's love for his master.
