Review of
Putter
and the Red Car: A Cross-Country Family Adventure,
by Kate K. Lund
9780997151626
Three out of five stars
This story
about a family move from Massachusetts to Seattle, Washington is told by
Putter, an Airedale terrier dog. Putter rides in the back of their red car with
the two male children and he enjoys the trip. He gets to put his head out the
window and enjoy the feel of the wind in his face. The family stays in
pet-friendly lodging, so Putter gets to go in the rooms with everyone else, he
even gets to ride in an elevator.
There are some
nervous times, for these are all new experiences for Putter, yet he is fine as
long as he is with his family. Everyone is happy when they reach Seattle, it is
the end of an adventure that they will all remember the rest of their lives.
This is a nice
story about a major family adventure where the pet is included. Most people and
their pets are uncomfortable with being parted when the humans take trips,
kennel life is very unsettling for pets accustomed to being in homes with
humans. Children will enjoy the perspective of a story being narrated by a dog,
it is a formula that pleases them.
Unfortunately,
there is one colossal geographic error made in the book. The trip starts on the
east coast and they travel to the west coast, essentially going west the entire
journey. One leg of the trip starts at Chicago, Illinois and ends at Sioux
Falls, South Dakota. On page 21 there is the paragraph, “On the way to Sioux
Falls, we planned to visit a place called Mount Rushmore which is a national
monument with the faces of four United States presidents carved into a
mountain.” The problem is that Mount Rushmore is in the far western section of
South Dakota, so it is impossible to stop there during any direct trip from
Chicago to Sioux Falls.
Other than the
geographical blunder, this is a good story. However, it is hard to overlook
such an obvious and significant mistake.
This book was made available for free for review
purposes
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