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Hurry Home, Candy
The dog was lost. He had no name, and no one to love him. He has only the silent, empty countryside, and a few crumbs and bare bones he could pick up. He had only himself, and he was afraid. Along the way, the little dog found a few friends, people who gave him shelter for a while, but always he moved on -- until he found a place he could call home forever.
244 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1953
11 people are currently reading
671 people want to read
About the author
Meindert De Jong
45 books78 followersMeindert De Jong was an award-winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.
De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.
He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.
He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.
De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.
He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.
He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
August 20, 2013
There are only two books I've read aloud to my children, where at the end I was laughing and crying at the same time and could hardly finish, I was so moved. The Lord of the Rings, and Hurry Home, Candy.
Meindert DeYoung is highly recommended reading for young people... and adults!
This is DeYoung's home run. It was read to me by Mr VanWyngarden in fourth grade, after recess (settle-down reading time). It is probably my best memory from elementary school.
The stray dog, Candy, meets with lots of troubles and heartaches as he seeks a home. Two children take him in, but he isn't quite housebroken. Their mother gets angry and swats and pokes him with a broom when he messes the floor. He is traumatized, from being punished, for the rest of his life.
But the "great, good man" enters his life, and things change.
This is a Gospel-saturated story, exploring how we fear and are reluctant to accept grace. How we have a hard time getting over condemnation.
Please read this book! If you struggle with the truth of Romans 8:1, you NEED this book.
Meindert DeYoung is highly recommended reading for young people... and adults!
This is DeYoung's home run. It was read to me by Mr VanWyngarden in fourth grade, after recess (settle-down reading time). It is probably my best memory from elementary school.
The stray dog, Candy, meets with lots of troubles and heartaches as he seeks a home. Two children take him in, but he isn't quite housebroken. Their mother gets angry and swats and pokes him with a broom when he messes the floor. He is traumatized, from being punished, for the rest of his life.
But the "great, good man" enters his life, and things change.
This is a Gospel-saturated story, exploring how we fear and are reluctant to accept grace. How we have a hard time getting over condemnation.
Please read this book! If you struggle with the truth of Romans 8:1, you NEED this book.
February 4, 2014
This was perhaps the book that made me love reading and dogs simultaneously...I was in the 2nd grade living in Lake Stevens, Washington. My teacher, Mrs.Fields, would read the last 15 minutes of the school day....this book was my favorite....I could not wait each day to hear her read about this little dogs life. I later named one of my dogs I had growing up , Candy:) and my love for reading was born! I did not know then that it had won the Newberry award.
She was my favorite teacher and ill never forget her!
She was my favorite teacher and ill never forget her!
June 11, 2022
Enjoyed on openlibrary.org.
Didn't feel a lot of depth. Some insights are nice, though. such as the description of Candy learning to play for the first time as a grown dog, how he took it so seriously.
The pictures by Sendak didn't quite reveal his genius, imo, but they are enjoyable. The main theme seems to be the same one in Black Beauty. The lessons I learned are most especially don't take a pup from its mother too young, and don't use a broom to discipline it. (Probably don't use a rolled up newspaper or anything else abusive, either.)
A younger child who loves dogs would probably like this more. I wonder why it's not more well-known. Did any of you read it when you were a child?
Still reading, and rereading, DeJong.
Didn't feel a lot of depth. Some insights are nice, though. such as the description of Candy learning to play for the first time as a grown dog, how he took it so seriously.
The pictures by Sendak didn't quite reveal his genius, imo, but they are enjoyable. The main theme seems to be the same one in Black Beauty. The lessons I learned are most especially don't take a pup from its mother too young, and don't use a broom to discipline it. (Probably don't use a rolled up newspaper or anything else abusive, either.)
A younger child who loves dogs would probably like this more. I wonder why it's not more well-known. Did any of you read it when you were a child?
Still reading, and rereading, DeJong.
January 15, 2018
I read this book as a kid. It was the first book I ever read on my own that completely immersed me in the story. I was the child, I was the dog... I sobbed my way through this book and lived my days in the story for a long time after I read the last page. It transformed me as a reader and has stayed with me to this day.
August 2, 2024
I would give three and a half stars to Hurry Home, Candy.
Meindert DeJong understands dogs. Beyond any reasoning that I could ever come up with, Meindert DeJong knows the heart and mind of a dog as intimately as if it were his own, knows its shortcomings and inabilities and the different kind of courage that it possesses, the honor and love that makes dogs be the creatures that have been mankind's most consistent companion for years untold.
Real, warm sympathy pours forth from the cracks of this story; not contrived occurrences designed to make one feel sorry for the protagonist, but genuine sympathy that comes from an inspirational well of caring deep inside of the author. This quality is one of the most impressive things about the book, but not necessarily the most impressive.
With jarring reality, Meindert DeJong has painted the picture, through one little dog, of what it is like to be traumatically hurt, to feel betrayed and to fear people and to run from their presence. Anyone who has ever felt such things will find themselves drawn to this deeply resounding story, as Meindert DeJong seems to describe their own heartache with uncanny sensitivity. Candy, the dog, develops a terrible fear of brooms from puppyhood, because of his first owner's way of punishing him for doing wrong by jabbing him with a sharp-bristled broom until he succumbs to the torment. As Candy goes through his life and finds kind people who, in their own turn, are willing to adopt him, he sees that each one of them also has their own broom, and realizes that no matter how kind the person may seem, he or she will always eventually have a broom, ostensibly to frighten and torture him. In my mind, this book's most powerful lesson of all is that the people we know will always have their own broom, and be capable of inflicting pain, but the important question is if they will use the broom to cause hurt, or not.
I really was surprised by the inner strength and beauty of this fine juvenile novel. Meindert DeJong writes with seemingly complete understanding, and the simple plot carries important emotional undertones. Hurry Home, Candy is richly deserving of the awards and acclaim that have been given to it. I will always dearly remember this book.
"There were only two good things in his little life—the two children. The children were lovely. He lived for them. He might forget and do wrong again and again, he might not understand and do wrong a thousand times, but that one thing he understood—their love for him, his love for them. It all but consumed his little heart."
—Hurry Home, Candy, P. 43
Meindert DeJong understands dogs. Beyond any reasoning that I could ever come up with, Meindert DeJong knows the heart and mind of a dog as intimately as if it were his own, knows its shortcomings and inabilities and the different kind of courage that it possesses, the honor and love that makes dogs be the creatures that have been mankind's most consistent companion for years untold.
Real, warm sympathy pours forth from the cracks of this story; not contrived occurrences designed to make one feel sorry for the protagonist, but genuine sympathy that comes from an inspirational well of caring deep inside of the author. This quality is one of the most impressive things about the book, but not necessarily the most impressive.
With jarring reality, Meindert DeJong has painted the picture, through one little dog, of what it is like to be traumatically hurt, to feel betrayed and to fear people and to run from their presence. Anyone who has ever felt such things will find themselves drawn to this deeply resounding story, as Meindert DeJong seems to describe their own heartache with uncanny sensitivity. Candy, the dog, develops a terrible fear of brooms from puppyhood, because of his first owner's way of punishing him for doing wrong by jabbing him with a sharp-bristled broom until he succumbs to the torment. As Candy goes through his life and finds kind people who, in their own turn, are willing to adopt him, he sees that each one of them also has their own broom, and realizes that no matter how kind the person may seem, he or she will always eventually have a broom, ostensibly to frighten and torture him. In my mind, this book's most powerful lesson of all is that the people we know will always have their own broom, and be capable of inflicting pain, but the important question is if they will use the broom to cause hurt, or not.
I really was surprised by the inner strength and beauty of this fine juvenile novel. Meindert DeJong writes with seemingly complete understanding, and the simple plot carries important emotional undertones. Hurry Home, Candy is richly deserving of the awards and acclaim that have been given to it. I will always dearly remember this book.
"There were only two good things in his little life—the two children. The children were lovely. He lived for them. He might forget and do wrong again and again, he might not understand and do wrong a thousand times, but that one thing he understood—their love for him, his love for them. It all but consumed his little heart."
—Hurry Home, Candy, P. 43
October 16, 2017
I don't remember many books specifically from my childhood, which is odd since I read all the time. But this one I checked out from the library over and over. It made me cry, and I loved it. It's one I need to reread!
December 31, 2018
i tracked this book down because i remembered loving it as a child. it had some themes that im dealing with right this moment in my adult life, which was weird. candy come home, indeed.
March 18, 2018
There are some books that change how you view the written word.
They do not have to be grand examples of skilled prose; they do not even have to be good, to be quite frank. Regardless, something in them has to move you, has to shake up your senses; these will be the books you remember and will shape how you grow as a reader.
For a nine year old me, this was one of them.
For those unfamiliar, this is the story of a dog, who goes from being lost to found in a series of heartrending mishaps. There is something very human about the loneliness, the mistrust, the hurt that the dog feels; the book is quite skilled at evoking these painful emotions in the reader.
But more than that, it is ultimately a story of acceptance. For all the trials faced in the story, the ending is warm and satisfying, with the promise of a better tomorrow.
While the subject matter may err slightly on the darker side at times, this is an excellent choice for any young reader.
They do not have to be grand examples of skilled prose; they do not even have to be good, to be quite frank. Regardless, something in them has to move you, has to shake up your senses; these will be the books you remember and will shape how you grow as a reader.
For a nine year old me, this was one of them.
For those unfamiliar, this is the story of a dog, who goes from being lost to found in a series of heartrending mishaps. There is something very human about the loneliness, the mistrust, the hurt that the dog feels; the book is quite skilled at evoking these painful emotions in the reader.
But more than that, it is ultimately a story of acceptance. For all the trials faced in the story, the ending is warm and satisfying, with the promise of a better tomorrow.
While the subject matter may err slightly on the darker side at times, this is an excellent choice for any young reader.
November 9, 2021
This is the fourth Newbery book I've read by DeJong and I think he still has one more. (Remember what I said about the Newbery committee continually choosing the same authors?)
I thought the same thing about this book that I did about all his others. He has a fun, easy style of writing but chooses really boring plots.
I am not really an animal person, so I wasn't thrilled to be reading a book all about a dog. That said, I have to admit I did get a little bit invested in poor Candy. He was such a pathetic little creature. I was happy with how it all ended, even if the story wasn't that interesting to me. That's why I gave it three stars.
We meet Candy as a puppy with his new owners. The mother is constantly chasing and punishing him with a broom which causes a lifelong fear of brooms. We follow Candy getting lost and found many a time.
I thought the same thing about this book that I did about all his others. He has a fun, easy style of writing but chooses really boring plots.
I am not really an animal person, so I wasn't thrilled to be reading a book all about a dog. That said, I have to admit I did get a little bit invested in poor Candy. He was such a pathetic little creature. I was happy with how it all ended, even if the story wasn't that interesting to me. That's why I gave it three stars.
We meet Candy as a puppy with his new owners. The mother is constantly chasing and punishing him with a broom which causes a lifelong fear of brooms. We follow Candy getting lost and found many a time.
March 4, 2018
My least favorite of the DeJong I have read thus far. I had no particular affection for this dog. I'd much rather read Ginger Pye.
February 8, 2026
I loved this book. Yes, it's about a dog and written for children, but the themes are for anyone. There's pain and trauma and brokenness but also hope, love, and healing.
April 6, 2024
Another great dog story. This author continues to impress me with his connection to animals and those that love animals. I really disliked the children in the story. Perfect example of selfish behavior. What kind of children beg for a puppy then lose it and then their only motivation is to find it for a 50 dollar reward to get bikes? Author did a great job juxtaposing the true animal lovers and gentle caring people to these selfish brats. The symbolism of the broom would provide for interesting discussions for kiddos moving from just black and white thinking. As always the illustrations were spot on. What a great collaboration!!
January 10, 2026
This is a good book, but I would have enjoyed it more as a kid. As an adult who has 5 pets who have been rescued from an animal shelter this story kind of stressed me out and made me think sad thoughts about where my pets were before they were rescued.
August 8, 2022
Candy is a lost and lonely stray dog who is terrified of people. Will he ever find a better life?
It’s difficult to explain why I loved this book so much. It’s a “lost dog” book for kids, but it is neither humorous nor sentimental. It’s just realistic. Candy himself isn’t a particularly charming dog, he’s just a dog. DeJong does an incredible job of telling the story mostly from the dog’s point of view, without overly anthropomorphizing him.
Candy’s former owners, while not specifically intending to be cruel, were careless, ignorant, and selfish, and he was harshly punished with the mistress’s broom every time he transgressed as a puppy. Then they lost him. So now he’s struggling to survive on his own, and he’s developed a fear of people and an abject terror of brooms.
Sounds sad, right? Well, it is, for a while, but it was worth it to me, because of the joy of getting to see Candy picked up by the “great, good man,” a former sea captain who takes him home and makes him his own. As soon as the captain realizes that Candy is scared of his broom, this is his reaction:
“ ‘So when you were little and defenseless they came at you with brooms, did they?’ …He hurled the broom out of the window; he turned and spread his empty hands for the little cowed dog in the far end of the attic to see. …There hung the broom. It had been flung into a pine tree. There it hung foolishly between the earth and sky. ‘There it is,’ the captain said, ‘and there it stays. No more brooms in this house. We’ll use the vacuum cleaner and the carpet sweeper; the house came with those, too. No more brooms. It’s much better to have some dirt in the house than the dirt of fear in your heart.’ “
The captain’s patient, kind, persistent love for Candy eventually helps the little dog to have enough courage to finally overcome his fears. I suppose that’s what I loved about the book: it’s a great picture of the “perfect love [that] casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Is it a good book for kids? Well, I’d say it depends on the kid. The writing is simple and straightforward, so as far as reading level goes, I’d say it’s good for ages 8 and up. The story is free from objectionable content, except perhaps for one time when the captain jokingly refers to himself as a “jackass.” But it certainly has plenty of sad parts, so maybe it isn’t a good choice for a sensitive child. My own children are absolutely not interested in reading it; they hate “lost dog” books (except for 101 Dalmatians) because our own dog was abandoned by her owners and was a stray before we rescued her, and thinking about that always makes them sad. So for now, it’ll just go on my shelf of books that I love and plan to reread.
It’s difficult to explain why I loved this book so much. It’s a “lost dog” book for kids, but it is neither humorous nor sentimental. It’s just realistic. Candy himself isn’t a particularly charming dog, he’s just a dog. DeJong does an incredible job of telling the story mostly from the dog’s point of view, without overly anthropomorphizing him.
Candy’s former owners, while not specifically intending to be cruel, were careless, ignorant, and selfish, and he was harshly punished with the mistress’s broom every time he transgressed as a puppy. Then they lost him. So now he’s struggling to survive on his own, and he’s developed a fear of people and an abject terror of brooms.
Sounds sad, right? Well, it is, for a while, but it was worth it to me, because of the joy of getting to see Candy picked up by the “great, good man,” a former sea captain who takes him home and makes him his own. As soon as the captain realizes that Candy is scared of his broom, this is his reaction:
“ ‘So when you were little and defenseless they came at you with brooms, did they?’ …He hurled the broom out of the window; he turned and spread his empty hands for the little cowed dog in the far end of the attic to see. …There hung the broom. It had been flung into a pine tree. There it hung foolishly between the earth and sky. ‘There it is,’ the captain said, ‘and there it stays. No more brooms in this house. We’ll use the vacuum cleaner and the carpet sweeper; the house came with those, too. No more brooms. It’s much better to have some dirt in the house than the dirt of fear in your heart.’ “
The captain’s patient, kind, persistent love for Candy eventually helps the little dog to have enough courage to finally overcome his fears. I suppose that’s what I loved about the book: it’s a great picture of the “perfect love [that] casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).
Is it a good book for kids? Well, I’d say it depends on the kid. The writing is simple and straightforward, so as far as reading level goes, I’d say it’s good for ages 8 and up. The story is free from objectionable content, except perhaps for one time when the captain jokingly refers to himself as a “jackass.” But it certainly has plenty of sad parts, so maybe it isn’t a good choice for a sensitive child. My own children are absolutely not interested in reading it; they hate “lost dog” books (except for 101 Dalmatians) because our own dog was abandoned by her owners and was a stray before we rescued her, and thinking about that always makes them sad. So for now, it’ll just go on my shelf of books that I love and plan to reread.
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December 2, 2021Spoiler alert:
Here's what I remember of this book. After reading the last line "Candy, please come home" I cried all night. Then years later I realized that I had missed the last page, which said that Candy did come home.
Here's what I remember of this book. After reading the last line "Candy, please come home" I cried all night. Then years later I realized that I had missed the last page, which said that Candy did come home.
April 12, 2011
I think DeJong's great strength in this book is the expression of Candy's tragedy as a dog tragedy, not a human one. Obviously, Candy is anthropomorphized: we don't actually know how a dog thinks; but if we did, I think the soul of it would be very much Candy's soul (for that personality type of dog). I believe animals have emotions; they are not human emotions -- although they could quite resemble them. And the hopeless hopefulness of Candy has "dog" written all over it, from what external observation of dogs has shown.
Candy also typifies the casual cruelty we subject these dependent domestic animals to when we (which is the norm) claim them inferior to humans but simultaneously apply human rules and judgments to their behavior arbitrarily. They do not qualify the same privileges as humans but are victim to the same punishments and even social dysfunctions.
Candy also typifies the casual cruelty we subject these dependent domestic animals to when we (which is the norm) claim them inferior to humans but simultaneously apply human rules and judgments to their behavior arbitrarily. They do not qualify the same privileges as humans but are victim to the same punishments and even social dysfunctions.
October 25, 2021
This is the only book that I remember from my childhood. In 4th grade at Whittier Elem, Cadillac, MI, I got on the bookmobile with no idea which book to choose. The lady went to this book and recommended it. How did she know how much I related to the lost and lonely dog and how much the story would stay with me. My mother had died a year previous, I was living in a household with my dad and stepmother who did not want me. I am now 76 years old and I have purchased an original version - once 20 years ago for my granddaughter and, more recently, another original to read to my unborn great-grandson, Christian Alexander. I am so happy the little dog found a home with love.
December 27, 2017
Me and dog Books. If they are any good, I adore them. This one, by one of my favorite children’s authors, I read in two sittings. My heart was bursting with grief for a good deal of it, but I couldn’t stop reading. DeJong understands dogs so well.
May 15, 2011
melodramatic
July 10, 2023
Looking at other reviews, it is such a clear reminder that there are so many books because there are so many different readers, and not every book is for every reader. Ugh. I read this because it was a Newbery Honor book. I usually do enjoy DeJong's books. I do not like dog books. This one is from the perspective of the dog, starting as a puppy. The villain of the story is the mother who doesn't want a dog, but whose children save up for a puppy. It's 1953 and she doesn't drive, so she's stuck at home with this puppy all day while her children are at school and her husband is at work with the car. The puppy ends up with a terrible fear of brooms, and when he gets lost in the country in a storm, this fear of brooms keeps him continually separated from humans who are trying to help. It ends happily, but not without some bank robbers.
December 4, 2024
I loved this book. It was a chore to get through it but worth it. The writing is very descriptive with a lot of insight into emotion and a heavy focus on compassion. Its focus on compassion is what I really love about the book. I think it would be a great conduit to discuss homelessness, empathy, compassion, care giving, grit, surviving, loneliness with teenagers. I think it could be a great tool for teaching teens because it doesn't contain pity. It has a very slow pace with a lot of description, but the sentence structure and vocabulary is accessible for any level reader in high school. The slow pace of the book might be problematic for a modern teenager's attention but I feel like teens might secretly enjoy the slow comfortable pace. It is definitely a break from the distractions of our current world. I recommend it to anyone.
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December 29, 2022I read this book way back in elementary school at the library, and it stuck with me for so long that I've been itching to get a copy back. For the longest time, I had forgotten the title and author, and researching that was its own discovery. I've searched used and new book stores, but I don't think this book is in print anymore. But for Christmas, my sister finally found me an old used copy, and how nice it is to relive this story! What I find most fascinating is that the themes of fear and loneliness and a longing for home are still themes that I gravitate toward in adult literary fiction. And apparently I've always liked a sad but hopeful book.
February 14, 2020
TITLE: Hurry Home, Candy
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It is a Newbery Honor Book
REVIEW: If you don't like reading or seeing deceptions of cruelty toward animals, even if the story is trying to show you how wrong that is do not read this book. People are so clueless when it comes to dealing with animals. We do not realize the effect of even small things can have on them. This book had a happy ending but there was a lot of sadness and pain before you got there.
WHY I CHOSE THIS BOOK: It is a Newbery Honor Book
REVIEW: If you don't like reading or seeing deceptions of cruelty toward animals, even if the story is trying to show you how wrong that is do not read this book. People are so clueless when it comes to dealing with animals. We do not realize the effect of even small things can have on them. This book had a happy ending but there was a lot of sadness and pain before you got there.
April 14, 2021
This one ends better than it begins. The bid for pity was a bit heavy-handed at the beginning, but the part that talked about those who've knocked around as young ones learning to play again was really moving. It gave me a small sense of what it must be like to be traumatized before you can even understand the trauma.
Not one I'd read to a sensitive child, I think.
It certainly made me want to go hug my dog and show kindness to a stray.
Not one I'd read to a sensitive child, I think.
It certainly made me want to go hug my dog and show kindness to a stray.
September 3, 2021
I love this book. I first read it when my son, Paul's school teacher read it to his class and Paul came home and told me about it along with another book by Meindert DeJong that he loved, called The House of 60 Fathers. I read both of them soon after. And I re-read Hurry Home Candy this summer.
I loved seeing the world from the viewpoint of Candy.
I loved seeing the world from the viewpoint of Candy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2017
This was one of the most depressing dogs books I have ever read. Halfway through the book I knew it had to end happily but there was not a hint of hopefulness in the writing. The writing was all doom and gloom and it was too much.
May 22, 2021
I loved this book in grade 6. (1979). I took it out of the library over and over. I only remember the car ride scene on a dark rainy night where the kids lost the dog which fell down a steep hill. I need to read it again.
August 3, 2021
I found this in a little lending library on Grand Ave in St Paul. We had read The House of Sixty Fathers in homeschool, so I recognized the author. This book did not disappoint! I love that it was redemptive and a sweet story.
January 11, 2022
My all time favorite book.
I read this when I was in elementary a school. I keep a copy on my bookshelf to read it again every few years.
Meindert DeJong has a window into the soul of a dog. I felt every emotion the little stray was going through.
I read this when I was in elementary a school. I keep a copy on my bookshelf to read it again every few years.
Meindert DeJong has a window into the soul of a dog. I felt every emotion the little stray was going through.
July 25, 2018
It's a sad story of a dog's life. I wanted to read it because it is an award winner. This author writes well, but I had a hard time getting into this book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews