"A homeless unloved pup becomes one lucky dog in this tender picture
book. . ."
--starred Publishers Weekly Review
The Gryphon Press is delighted to bring this classic children's picture
back into print for a new generation of children.
McDuff Moves In has been loved for its heartwarming and lively story and
its magical recreation of a simpler era. Readers have commented that
they loved reading McDuff's story to their children, and, in due course,
to their grandchildren, reading the book over and over, until, as one
reader wrote, the "original copy was worn to shreds."
"This collaboration by Wells and Jeffers is as sweet, substantial, and
comforting as that bowl of rice pudding and will suit the many children
who like stories with simple words, clear story lines, and
happily-ever-after endings. "
No one wanted the nameless little dog wandering the streets looking
unsuccessfully for food and shelter until kindhearted Fred and Lucy, a
young couple, take him inside. After they feed him rice pudding and
bathe him, they realize that they cannot bear to return him to the
pound. Newly adopted, McDuff-named that night for their favorite
shortbread biscuit-is last seen happily asleep on his back on a pillow
next to Fred and Lucy's bed.
Wells knows just the right words to describe McDuff's emotions in ways
that little readers will identify with and understand. She describes his
joy in being accepted with these words: ''No one had ever asked him to
come in. Everyone had always told him to go away.''
Jeffers's illustrations brilliantly capture a bygone art deco America in
Lucy and Fred's cozy home, a virtual-reality nostalgia unfaded. Dog
lovers everywhere will recognize the very specific details that bring
McDuff to life, from the familiar lift of a paw in the rain to the
frightened eyes peeking out over the car dashboard.
