Harry the Dirty Dog
Written by Gene Zion, Harry
the Dirty Dog is a bout small white dog with black spots named Harry. The
story is told in third person narration, and follows conventional narrative
structure with orientation, complication and resolution.
The story begins by introducing and describing Harry’s
appearance, and rather quickly with in the first three lines of text on the
first page sets the plot in motion, which is that Harry doesn’t like to take
baths, and so he buries his scrubbing brush in the garden. The complication
comes about when he goes on a trip around town where he slowly becomes very
dirty. The resolution comes about when he returns home covered in dirt which
has altered his appearance to the point where his family do not recognise him,
and so he decides he must take a bath in order to prove to them that he is
their dog.
One element of standard narrative structure worth mentioning
from this picture book would be the ‘Denouement.’ This was evident to the
reader when reading and viewing the pictures outlining Harry’s attempts to
prove to his family that he was their pet even though they could not recognise
him. This crucial final event is when
Harry digs up his scrubbing brush and decides to go and take a bath, which then
allows for the resolution to take effect.
This book would suite a younger audience of around the
pre-school to grade 2 year levels, as it has strong visual aids which can be
used to relate to the text in order for students to begin to make the
connections between words and their meanings.
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