Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog

 

Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog. Pamela S. Turner. Illus. by Yan Nascimbene. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 28 pages. $15.00 (Hardcover). ISBN 978-0-618-14094-7. Grades 1-3.

“Today Hachiko is a place where friends and family long separated come together again,” but years before Hachiko was the most loyal dog in the world. Pamela S. Turner eternalizes the story of Hachiko that she learned while living in Japan so that readers every where can experiences the kind of love only a pet can have. Readers hear the story of Hachiko from a young man who met Hachiko when he was six years old. He quickly befriended the dog as they waited every evening for their father and master, respectively,  to return to Shibuya Station from Tokyo. One day Dr. Ueno does not return to the station with Kentaro’s father and Hachiko begins his incredible act of loyalty; making friends with an entire country. Pamela Turner tells the story in a way that readers won’t soon forget the devotion of Hachiko and will feel the emotion of everyone who met or visited him in Shibuya Station. Yan Nascimbene’s illustrations help to paint the image of Hachiko in our minds and allow readers to feel if they are waiting at the station with him. Recommended

My Thoughts…

Stories that end with a dog dying are always incredibly sad, but this one did have a very uplifting message.  A few of the thoughts I had while and after reading this story have to do with time passing and the story continuing on. I was thinking about how quickly the story moved and how suddenly Hachiko began to grow old. Then I realized, however, that 11 years had passed! It was amazing to me that time went by so quickly in the story, but I guess the consistency of Hachiko’s routine of going to the train station twice a day acted like a metronome and kept time going. I also think it is amazing that the story of a loyal dog could last so long. It is still celebrated in Tokyo, but now it is also eternalized in this book. I think it is great that Turner made the story her own by creating Kentaro, since a child learning to love this dog is so realistic. I had to laugh though when I saw his name because our wii made a mii with that name. I also thought this was a good story and could be appreciated by any culture, even though it is specifically Asian American. I did wonder before I started reading if the author was going to have some tie to the Japanese community and was glad to learn that she lived there. Anyway, it was a neat story, and I think it is a good one because it teaches about some aspects of Japanese culture/society (at leas the festival and the admiration of loyalty) as well as keeps a tradition alive

Potential Reaction…

I would not be surprised if someone let out a tear when they read or heard this book since Hachiko does die, but I think kids will be more impressed that there is an annual festival held because of someone’s pet dog. I know my dog is horribly behaved, and as a kid I would be shocked that one could be so well behaved that it followed and met me at the train station every day. While I know this story is more than just one about a dog, I think a lot of kids will read it that way. I think it will be the result of talking about their own pets and their tricks and how upset they would be if their pet passed away. I think though that the celebration and sculpture could inspire interest in the Japanese culture.  

Reminds Me Of…

Ugh, I hate when I can’t think of anything that this book reminds me of. I guess I was reminded of Shiloh while I was reading just because of the love of Hachiko that Kentaro had. The connection of a loved pet, however, is a weak one I think. I am certain I have heard stories about other symbolic animals in our culture or another, but none are coming up now. So as I went to find the graphic for the post I realized there was a movie made! How about that?!