Is Milton Missing?

by Steven Kroll, Dick Gackenbach (Illustrator)

Greatchildrens book about a young boy that doesn't know where his dog is.Wonderful surprise ending.

Genres: Picture Books, Faith, Dogs

32 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Stephen Kroll spoke at schools and conferences all over the world. He was married to the journalist, Kathleen Beckett, and they lived in New York City and an old carriage house in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. When he was not writing or traveling, he played a lot of tennis and walked around looking at everything.

Reviews

[Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A boy arrives home to find his dog is no where to be found. He thinks of several different scenarios but, without any luck. He finally decides to look next door where he finds Milton. Overall, the illustrations are beautiful though, I feel the font chosen doesn’t quite work.

[Junessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic book where a child imagines what could have happened to his dog. I love the thought bubble pictures that show ridiculous ideas of the things the boy thinks his dog might be doing!

[Tim Schraad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story that would go well with lower grade students. You can talk to students about losing things and how to search everywhere for them.

[Willow Redd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Is Milton missing? His little boy is so very worried.

Cute story. Another library sale find that I'll be adding to my Little Free Library.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard searches for his dog Milton.

The color scheme for the illustrations is grey, white, and 1970s avocado green.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1975 Weekly Reader's book (remember that?) Showcases how a child can use his imagination to help solve problems. The problem this kid has is that his dog Milton is not in his apartment when he gets home from school.

Milton is a Great Dane, so it should be freakin' obvious where he is (although Milton seems small for a Great Dane). Great Danes have plummeted in popularity because they are such large dogs (although they are still in the top 20 AKC recognized breeds of America). It's hard to remember that they are the state dog breed of Pennsylvania, because they once were all over the damn state decades ago, but have mostly vanished. In the 1970s, you could keep large dogs like Great Danes in apartments. Landlords weren't such fucking homicidal pricks then.

And the Great Danes presented here have cropped ears. They are cropped for cosmetic reasons only. In the 1970s, if you had a Great Dane without cropped ears, no one believed you if you said the dog was a purebred Great Dane. And no one gave a shit about the suffering puppies went through to get those ears. Today, if you do read this book to a kid, let the kid know that cropping ears is sick.

You also might want to have a talk with your kid about the importance of getting your dog neutered or spayed. Great Dane puppies in the 1970s were often guaranteed halfway decent homes, but today, even puppies of the rarest or most expensive breeds are often guaranteed to wind up euthanized at a shelter or killed by traffic or exposure due to abandonment ... in part due to landlords refusing their tenants to have pets.

So yeah ... classic kids' book, but not kosher today.

[Lincoln · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! It's sort of true to life. Actually, it's based on my life. I'm Steven Kroll's nephew, and he was inspired to write this book by me, but mostly by my very big Dalmatian that lived with us in our apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. I told him a story about how I felt I had lost our dog, Sparky, one day on Long Island when we were on vacation; I soon found him — and the climax of "Is Milton Missing" basically mirrors what happened. When Steven signed the book and gave it to me, he said, "Here's a copy of your book." It was his first children's book. He had had a tough time breaking into the adult fiction market, which I imagine is super-competitive. But he found he had a gift for children's books, and his great sense of humor was well-suited for it. Sparky was changed from a Dalmatian to a Great Dane, Milton, for the story. But the spirit remains the same. Steven wrote many good books after this one. He was truly prolific. But this is where it all began. The story is as relevant today as it was before. Great illustrations!

[Elizabeth Gibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve had this book for a few years, copyright 1975, and it is the most adorable look at a child’s life in the 70’s. The storyline is simple and mysterious with a wonderful ending, and the pictures bring so much nostalgia for a time now long past.