bilbopooh's Full Review: Gene Zion - No Roses for Harry!
Unlike Ralphie, that poor beleaguered lad in A Christmas Story, I never had to suffer through grotesquely embarrassing gifts created especially for me by a caring relative. Partly I suspect that's because it seems to be more of a problem for boys; few lads want to prance around in a pink bunny suit, and most self-respecting fellas wouldn't really want to wear a sweater decorated with roses. That certainly goes for Harry the black-and-white dog in Gene Zion's No Roses for Harry!, illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham.
When I saw the title of this book, before I glanced at the cover, I suspected that the book had to do with keeping Harry out of his neighbor's rose beds. But it's not the humans saying "no roses" here; it's Harry, and he's quite adamant. He loves the grandma of the children he lives with, but he hates her present. Though the sweater is warm and snug, it's humiliating to walk around town in such a fashion. Poor Harry must endure gales of laughter from casual observers, and he immediately plots how he might go about "losing" his present.
This is an older book from the 1950s. The pictures have a flat quality about them reminiscent of the first version of Alvin and the Chipmunks, and the only colors used in the book (aside from black and white) are a sort of olive green color and a sickly-looking red. Curiously, on the cover, Harry's sweater has yellow roses, but they are most definitely red inside the book, and yellow is nowhere to be found.
The story is almost entirely narration, since Harry doesn't really have anyone to talk to. Once in a while the humans speak, but mostly, Zion lets us know what Harry is thinking, while Graham's pictures confirm it. The illustration of him walking slowly along with his head hung low while he wears the hated sweater is a hilarious example of Graham's gift for expression.
No Roses for Harry is a funny story about a disgruntled dog, but those who read it will be rewarded with something even more substantial. The book's conclusion is clever and heart-warming, with a series of events that allows Grandma's talents to bring happiness to more than one creature. Readers will be reminded to keep the tastes of a gift recipient in mind when choosing a present while discovering the wonderful ways in which a gift can be reused to bring enjoyment to others.
The popular hero of Harry the Dirty Dog does his best to be rid of Grandmother,s birthday present a silly green sweater with yellow roses. Will bring ...More at Barnes & Noble.com
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