Dalmatians (Pet Care (Crabtree Hardcover)) - £8.98
| Hundred and One Dalmatians: Play (Acting Edition) - £7.88
This book is wonderful. When Disney changed it into a movie, the story lost many of its special touches, and the story was no longer told so much as shown from the dog's perspective. The main plot of the story is similar to that of Disney's animated movie, but contains many small differences, and more detail. These differences are what make the book as good as it is. In the book, right after Pongo and his wife Missus Pongo have their 15 puppies, everyone is worried about how one dog will feed 15 puppies without losing strength. The solution to their problem comes in the form of a stray Dalmatian, found on the side of the road, whom they name Perdita. Perdita has a history of her own, and her sub-plot is one of the many things that add depth to the story, but were lost in the movie. The story is told, continuously, from a dog's point of view. It is mentioned how humans believe that they own dogs; whereas the truth is that the dogs own them. Pongo and Missus continually refer to their humans as their pets, and one can see that mentality in their conversations. All the dogs in the story seem to enjoy doting on their humans. Another interesting quirk is how the dogs are `married'. Pongo continually refers to Missus as his wife, and she calls him husband. A dog's marriage ceremony does not seem to take very long, or require a priest or government official. Two willing dogs can run off into the forest, and when they come back, be married. Puppies will most likely come soon after. A wonderful book, it is much better than Disney's movie. Full of fun tales, even in the midst of the puppies flight from Cruella's house. Loggie-log-log-log
|