This post is part of a weekly series of synopses of children’s books, written by First Book staff members.

Mister Dog, by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Garth Williams. Crispian’s Crispian is a little dog who belongs to himself– he doesn’t need anyone. But then he meets a little boy who thinks he doesn’t need anyone, either. Even though they are independent, it tuns out that they make a great team and they become best of friends. Grades K-2.

Silver, by Gloria Whelan and illustrated by Stephen Marchesi. Rachel lives in Alaska and dreams of one day becoming a champion sled dog racer, just like her father. She receives a puppy from one of her father’s racing dogs and names it Silver. When Silver goes missing, Rachel is determined to find him. Grades 3-4.

Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls. Billy is a young boy who lives in the Ozark mountains. Through persistence and hard work, he fulfills his dream of purchasing and raising two pure-bred hound dogs for hunting. The threesome build a bond of loyalty and love that helps them defy the odds time and again to become one of the best known hunting teams in the area. Little does Billy realize how his dogs’ loyalty to him would one day save his life. This book, for grades 5-6, won several awards and was made into a film in 1974 and again in 2003.