The Poky Little Puppy

For some reason, Iain likes this book. It's a classic, but I find its storyline kind of confusing.

Here's what the back of the book says:

"In this beloved bestseller, a puppy loves to dig holes under the fence and go for a walk in the wide, wide world - despite what his mother says. But the poky little puppy digs one hole too many in this charming story, and ends up missing dessert!"

Now this is a total lie.

1. The poky puppy does not dig the holes. His siblings (there are four of them) dig the hole with him: "Five little puppies dug a hole under the fence."

2. The poky puppy doesn't seem like he wants to go for a walk at all. And he's profoundly disinterested in the "wide, wide world." He likes to focus his intellectual energy on the finite, the comprehensible. To wit, he gets distracted by a "fuzzy caterpillar" and a "brown hop-toad."

3. It is, in fact, his very poky-ness that causes his siblings to comment on him at all. For narrative purposes, he exists by being poky, not by being adventurous and full of mischief as the book's cover would have you believe.

4. The poky puppy only misses his dessert at the end, after his siblings double-cross him. The first time out, he smells rice pudding and the other four puppies run home. They are punished by their mother (for digging the hole) and get nothing. Poky gets it all! The second time, he "hears" mother making chocolate pudding. The other four run home, get there first (remember, they're not poky) and are punished. No pudding. Poky gets it all! (never mind that chocolate is poisonous to dogs) Time #3, is the kicker.

Poky "sees" strawberry shortcake at home. The other four run home, and the usual confrontation occurs. But then they sneak out and re-fill the hole under the fence. To reward them, their mother gives them the strawberry shortcake. It's only Poky, who is late and must squeeze between the fence slats, who gets nothing.

Are we clear on this? His siblings, as a group, break the rules. Twice, they get no dessert while Poky gets it all. On the third try, they deliberately exclude him and he gets nothing. This story is like Joseph and his coat. Or something.

Clearly, this is a tale that examines the power of temporality and perspective, elevating the status of the other while dramatizing the ultimate triumph of the majority.

A Little Golden Storybook, indeed.