The Dog Who Dared to Dream

This is seemingly a simple story about a dog trying to survive in a poverty stricken family in Asia. But it is so well written that I still think about it weeks later. I got very emotionally involved in the characters. Recommend highly

I found it very depressing. Poor dog had a really really live and unpleasant death. Could have done without this but it was very well written and had the dog's behavior down.

I found this to be a page turner. The author is excellent at telling the story in a way to pillar the heartstrings so you share the feelings of the main character. This book will become a staple in my library.

Sort of emotional but nicely written.

I loved the relationships between the different animals, and the moral dilemmas, and the way the author wrote about the connection between animals and man. Love won out in the end, and there was harmony.

Amazing little book. A delicate telling of what friendship is or might be, and how life is filled with heartache and hope. All from the perspective of a wonderful dog. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Didn't translate culturally

Scraggly is the dog of Grandpa Screecher, a man who owns a bicycle repair shop struggling to make ends meet. On the side, Grandpa Screecher likes to breed dogs and sell them. Scraggly is one of the puppies born to Grandpa Screecher's dog. She's the oddball of the litter, and rejected by her mother and siblings. But through selling and a theft, Scraggly ends up being Grandpa Screecher's only dog. She's also the only one who knows who stole the others. Eventually Grandpa Screecher comes to value her worth, though they have some rough patches, especially when he sells her own puppies. Over time, they come to understand one another through the trials of life, especially aging bones and children who leave. So I've come to the conclusion that Sun-mi Hwang just loves to write sad stories about animal mothers. This is never really a happy story. There's a tone of bleakness throughout. Winter is given a little theme of a season of harsh times and loss. Grandpa Screecher and Scraggly both face distance with children grown and gone and an emptiness in their absence. I'm sure literature classes would have a hey day with this and all the symbolism that is obviously present. As a story to read for fun, I'd only recommend it if you're looking to branch out in your reading and want to try a book in translation that isn't a huge time commitment (this is pretty short) or if you like sad animal stories. Personally, I didn't find it a very fun read and that was more what I was looking for. Notes on content: About five minor swear words. No sexual content (Scraggly just mentions meeting nice male dogs and then in the next scene she's expecting puppies). Two bad dog bites are given. Several animal deaths (none very gory) and one human death (mostly off page, not gory).

I downloaded this book after reading The Hen Who Wished She Could Fly, which was great! This book is not a disappointment and I really enjoyed this. It did feel a bit shorter that the first book however with new characters and such descriptive words i read it in a few days! I did have to try and not cry when I finished this as I was in public 🤭🤭🤭🤭

It was a nice story

Read the one with the Hen too!

Short and sweet but ultimately, extremely sad. Still, it's a superb story.

Read a few years ago that a friend lent me. Its been on my mind since so bought it myself. Quick delivery too