How Dog Became a Friend by Paul O'Neill

How Dog Became a Friend, written by Paul O'Neill and illustrated by Cynthia Colosimo, is actually a retelling of an old arctic tale.

Forgetting their mother's warnings, Brother and Sister become so caught up in their berry picking and fun that they wander further from home then they are supposed to and they fall victim to the Old Hag of the Wilderness.  The Old Hag hangs them by their hoods high atop the branches of an old needleless tree and leaves them there to die.  Many animals wander by and the children beg the animals to help them but none of them will, until finally a dog comes by and responds to the children's pleading and helps them escape.  The dog then goes back to the village with the children and that is supposedly how dogs became man's best friend.

I had mixed feelings about this story but Anna was captivated by it.  She was a little scared of the bit about the Old Hag and the children being hung by their hoods in the tree.  I wondered if I should keep reading but she wanted to keep going.  It is a well written story and the illustrations are wonderful.

How Dog Became a Friend was one of the prizes donated by Flanker Press for our February reading challenge.  It is also available through the public library system.

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