In I Want a Dog by Dayal Kaur Khalsa, it’s May who wants a dog and
her parents who don’t, at least not right now. May is creatively persistent in
her request. She recalls that learning to roller skate was difficult, but she
succeeded by trying and trying and trying again. So, each time her parents say
“no” to getting a dog, May tries again with a cleverer plan. In a moment of
furious frustration, May discovers that her roller skate can substitute for a
little white dog. Pulling her roller skate on a rope feels like walking a dog
on a leash. First she practices walking the skate inside, then she takes it to
the playground. Soon, everyone wants to walk her roller skate. She doesn’t
change her parents’ minds. It’s a couple more years before May gets a dog. In
the meantime, she—and her friends—practice.
My Picture Book Talk for this story is here.
