My Dog Rinty

by Ellen Tarry, Marie Hall Ets, Alexander Alland (Illustrator)

VERY RARE - 2nd edition book copyrighted in 1946. Wonderful historical account of an African American boy and his dog living in Harlem in the 40's. Gives a rare and accurate glimpse of daily life in this era making this book a historically significant and rare addition to your library.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1946

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice middle school book published in 1946. it is set in Harlem and the black and white photographs makes it look like what is written really happened, instead of made up. No matter if it was true or not, still a good story.

Rinty gets in trouble throughout the book and David works hard to keep his father from forcing him to give the dog away. I found it very clever how the book takes the reason for Rinty's misbehavior and turns it into an asset in the end.

'That night Rinty slept on David's bed, though he wasn't supposed to, and David lay awake thinking. What could he do to make money so he could keep Rinty? He thought of what Mrs. Moseley had said. Then he got an idea.'

The story is nice. I liked how David worked hard to find ways to keep Rinty. If I was reading to a child, I would want to stop not too far in and have them try to think of ideas. The black and white pictures of Rinty (I believe an Airedale) and David are very nice, and ones of Harlem are really great. Definitely a book I would recommend if you can get your hands on a copy.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book on the website of the Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature—what a great resource! This lovely book published in 1946 tells the story of David, a little boy, Rinty, the unruly dog he loves, the family whose patience with the dog is running out and the community who helps Rinty use his talents and obsessions for good! The illustrations are photos (Alexander Alland) that are positive, heartwarming, vintage black and white images set in Harlem. There are many opportunities for rich discussions about problem solving, family and community.

[Sonia Schoenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

David has four siblings, two parents and one dog named Rinty. Rinty is a scalawag and gets into all kinds of trouble. The interesting thing about this book is that all the illustrations are photographs. Originally published in 1946. The story itself is ok, but I would expect that Black children in the late 1940s would have loved seeing characters that looked like them, their families and their neighbors.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading “My Dog Rinty,” I did some research to find out more about the author and the book. The author, Ellen Tarry, was an African American newspaper journalist who had an impressive career in publishing. In addition to writing for newspapers and magazines, she published four children’s picture books and I learned from "Wikipedia" that her first children’s picture book, “Janie Belle,” which was published in 1940, was the first picture book published for African American children.
“My Dog Rinty” was published in 1946. There were several newspaper articles written at the time that it was published. One article in “The New York Age” newspaper, stated that the book was illustrated by Marie Hall Ets. The book is filled with high quality black and white photographs that were taken by Alexander and Alexandra Alland who were professional photographers. The photographs are of historical significance because they illustrate examples of real children and family life in Harlem, New York. I found out that the children photographed in the book were from one family of 12 children of Mr. and Mrs. Louis De Brecourt. The children all attended St. Paul’s Parochial school. All of the pictures were taken in Harlem. The dog featured in the book is a Wire Fox Terrier.
On May 27th, 1946, Viking Press gave a party to celebrate the publication of the book. The author, illustrator, and photographers were present; the children who were pictured in the book and “about 50 Negro and white students from various New York schools also attended.” There was storytelling, games, cake, and ice cream for the children. Josh White and his “Little Josh,” famous for folk singing and guitar, provided the entertainment by singing folksongs and playing guitar. More was described about the book and the party in a newspaper article in the "Omaha Guide Newspaper," Omaha, Nebraska, published on June 1, 1946.
The story in the book about Rinty the terrier is interesting for young readers and there a little suspense that holds interest. The "Omaha Guide Newspaper" describes the book’s story in this way: “It is a very human, appealing story about a Negro Boy named David and his beloved, but misunderstood dog, a wonderful ratter. When the dog starts tearing up all the rugs in sight, it looks as though he will have to be sold, but an understanding Harlem editor helps to bring happiness and prosperity where before there was nothing but trouble.” The book teaches children about the work that goes into the caring of a pet, and emphasizes the need for proper training and guidance, as well as understanding the specific breed behaviors. David also learns the value of listening to adult advice and how to be a responsible member of his community.
I read the copy of the book that is on the Internet Archive.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 3 out of 5]

A key African American picture book, Tarry and Ets' _My Dog Rinty_ follows David and his rascally dog Rinty as they navigate their Harlem neighborhood together. Despite David and his family's best efforts to keep Rinty from following David to school and church and from being destructive and a nuisance to neighborhood business owners and nuns, RInty is a gifted "digger" and scratches up rugs and floorboards. He causes massive damage and David must constantly work in order to repay those whom Rinty has caused damage. However, after taking Rinty on odd jobs, selling him to a wealthy woman, and then getting him back again, David uses Rinty's flaw as a business strategy, and the two become the "Pied Pipers of Harlem," as Rinty can locate where mice and rats get into buildings. It's a rather extensive picture book, featuring David and Rinty in many different settings. Interestingly, the book ends with the following outcome of David and Rinty's business: "But best of all, the owner of a block of old buildings where the poor people live in Harlem said: 'David and Rinty have shown me that my old buildings are full of holes. I'm going to tear them down and build new ones. And the new ones will have a big yard in the center where children and dogs can play. For instead of 'No Children or Dogs Allowed,' I will put out a sign that says, 'Well-Behaved Children and Well-Behaved Dogs Are WELCOME.' And I hope David and his family and _his dog_ will be the first ones to move in.'"

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good pectoral story book. All of the photos are black and white. It is about a little boy named David who hast to give up his dog because his dog always chews off his leash and goes where he pleases. Will his dog ever be good?