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A review by jeriwho
Beautiful Joe by Marshall Saunders
3.0
BEAUTIFUL JOE will shock young readers because of its very violent beginning, and yet that violence is handled well in the story, and it creates the lasting impression upon young minds that its author intended. For the writer tells the story from the point of view of a dog cruelly abused, his suffering, and his rescue. In a culture where children see a lot of violence, this book is a refreshing truth: violence hurts. It brings pain and grief, and good people still try to heal pain and grief and bring an end to violence.
Younger readers will quickly come to identify with Beautiful Joe, this lonely dog who enters a world of respect, kindness, and care, and blossoms under it. There are a few parts of the book that moralize a bit too much, and some children may need some guidance to understand that the setting of the book is from an era before ours. (Don't be surprised if your young reader asks, "What's a milkman?")
As an adult, and a Christian, reading the book, I find some of Saunders' optimism about the ascent of man incredibly naive. She was a peer of LM Montgomery, writer of Anne of Green Gables, and lacks the subtle and agile pen of Anne's creator. But children will not notice these flaws. And BEAUTIFUL JOE, as an engaging means of showing that animals deserve to be treated with kindness and care, is a worthy book for readers 9-11.
Younger readers will quickly come to identify with Beautiful Joe, this lonely dog who enters a world of respect, kindness, and care, and blossoms under it. There are a few parts of the book that moralize a bit too much, and some children may need some guidance to understand that the setting of the book is from an era before ours. (Don't be surprised if your young reader asks, "What's a milkman?")
As an adult, and a Christian, reading the book, I find some of Saunders' optimism about the ascent of man incredibly naive. She was a peer of LM Montgomery, writer of Anne of Green Gables, and lacks the subtle and agile pen of Anne's creator. But children will not notice these flaws. And BEAUTIFUL JOE, as an engaging means of showing that animals deserve to be treated with kindness and care, is a worthy book for readers 9-11.