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Part -Time Dog
Ages 4#150;8 A little stray dog with a wagging tail wanders onto Maple Street one day. Brownie walks the children to school, goes to the bank with Mrs. Butterworth, and even helps Mrs. Tweedy rake her yard. But when night comes, everyone goes home except for Brownie. He doesn't have a home to go to because everyone thinks he's somebody else's dog! In this new edition of a beloved story, a community comes together to share a dog that is loved by all.
34 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1965
2 people are currently reading
58 people want to read
About the author
Jane Thayer
78 books15 followersJane Thayer (pen name of: Catherine Woolley) was an American writer. She is known best for the book The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy, which became the basis of a 1980s Saturday Morning cartoon series, The Puppy's Further Adventures.
Obituary from: Boston Globe, July 27, 2005
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articl...
With the 87 children's books she wrote, Catherine Woolley delighted generations of young readers around the world with stories of children, animals, a friendly ghost, and mysterious happenings.
She was so prolific that her publisher told her to use a nom de plume for some books. She chose Jane Thayer, her grandmother's name, for the many picture books she wrote.
For her older readers, she used her real name on books such as the ''Ginnie and Geneva" series about the adventures of two young girls. Many of the books were translated into foreign languages.
Ms. Woolley died Saturday in her Truro home. She was 100 and had been in failing health in recent years.
Until then, said her niece Betsy Drinkwater of Enfield, N.H., Ms. Woolley was a lover of books and a ''lifelong Democrat."
''After her 100th birthday last summer, her goal was to live long enough to vote in the 2004 election, and she did," Drinkwater said.
''She was a character," Drinkwater said. ''She never married, was very independent, and traveled all over the world. ''
A petite woman with blue eyes and curly hair, Ms. Woolley was also feisty, said a Truro neighbor, Peggy Longgood. ''She was clear in what she believed in and thought, and she would not back down on anything. She was indomitable."
Ms. Woolley continued to write into her 80s and 90s, Drinkwater said. Her last published work was 1989's ''Writing for Children," in which she advised adults how to write children's books. It wasn't easy, she warned.
Though Ms. Woolley never had children, she seemed to have a kinship with them, friends said. In her books, she often drew on her own experiences and world travels. She always urged students at the writers' workshops she taught on Cape Cod to write what they knew. In ''Writing for Children," she writes: ''There is a delight in working with words, because if you are a writer you love the magic of words and you love using words to bring children into the world you are creating."
Ms. Woolley was born in Chicago to Edward Mott and Anna Lazelle (Thayer) Woolley. She grew up in Passaic, N.J. Her father was a newspaperman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ms. Woolley attended both Barnard College in New York and the University of California at Los Angeles, earning her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1927.
Ms. Woolley's niece said that after college, she worked in public relations in New York and eventually moved back with her parents in Passaic in the 1930s during the Great Depression. She lived in Passaic until she was 60.
Drinkwater believes that Ms. Woolley wrote for magazines before her first book, ''I Like Trains," was published in 1944.
In the early 1960s, she moved into a house she had bought in Truro, pounding out books on an old Remington typewriter. She never used a computer.
Among her many books were ''The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy," about a dog who was looking for a master and found more than one at an orphanage, and a series about ''Gus the Ghost," a friendly apparition.
On Cape Cod, Ms. Woolley was a fixture at writing and book events. She helped start a book club, worked with the Friends of the Truro Library, taught at writing workshops, and held story hours at the library.
When the library opened its new building in 1996, it named its children's room after her.
''Catherine's writing and literary life was paramount to her," said Anne Brock of North Truro, a former library trustee.
One of Ms. Woolley's students was Yoko Kawashima Watkins of Brewster, with whom she worked for a year on a manuscript for Watkins's suc
Obituary from: Boston Globe, July 27, 2005
http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articl...
With the 87 children's books she wrote, Catherine Woolley delighted generations of young readers around the world with stories of children, animals, a friendly ghost, and mysterious happenings.
She was so prolific that her publisher told her to use a nom de plume for some books. She chose Jane Thayer, her grandmother's name, for the many picture books she wrote.
For her older readers, she used her real name on books such as the ''Ginnie and Geneva" series about the adventures of two young girls. Many of the books were translated into foreign languages.
Ms. Woolley died Saturday in her Truro home. She was 100 and had been in failing health in recent years.
Until then, said her niece Betsy Drinkwater of Enfield, N.H., Ms. Woolley was a lover of books and a ''lifelong Democrat."
''After her 100th birthday last summer, her goal was to live long enough to vote in the 2004 election, and she did," Drinkwater said.
''She was a character," Drinkwater said. ''She never married, was very independent, and traveled all over the world. ''
A petite woman with blue eyes and curly hair, Ms. Woolley was also feisty, said a Truro neighbor, Peggy Longgood. ''She was clear in what she believed in and thought, and she would not back down on anything. She was indomitable."
Ms. Woolley continued to write into her 80s and 90s, Drinkwater said. Her last published work was 1989's ''Writing for Children," in which she advised adults how to write children's books. It wasn't easy, she warned.
Though Ms. Woolley never had children, she seemed to have a kinship with them, friends said. In her books, she often drew on her own experiences and world travels. She always urged students at the writers' workshops she taught on Cape Cod to write what they knew. In ''Writing for Children," she writes: ''There is a delight in working with words, because if you are a writer you love the magic of words and you love using words to bring children into the world you are creating."
Ms. Woolley was born in Chicago to Edward Mott and Anna Lazelle (Thayer) Woolley. She grew up in Passaic, N.J. Her father was a newspaperman in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Ms. Woolley attended both Barnard College in New York and the University of California at Los Angeles, earning her bachelor's degree from UCLA in 1927.
Ms. Woolley's niece said that after college, she worked in public relations in New York and eventually moved back with her parents in Passaic in the 1930s during the Great Depression. She lived in Passaic until she was 60.
Drinkwater believes that Ms. Woolley wrote for magazines before her first book, ''I Like Trains," was published in 1944.
In the early 1960s, she moved into a house she had bought in Truro, pounding out books on an old Remington typewriter. She never used a computer.
Among her many books were ''The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy," about a dog who was looking for a master and found more than one at an orphanage, and a series about ''Gus the Ghost," a friendly apparition.
On Cape Cod, Ms. Woolley was a fixture at writing and book events. She helped start a book club, worked with the Friends of the Truro Library, taught at writing workshops, and held story hours at the library.
When the library opened its new building in 1996, it named its children's room after her.
''Catherine's writing and literary life was paramount to her," said Anne Brock of North Truro, a former library trustee.
One of Ms. Woolley's students was Yoko Kawashima Watkins of Brewster, with whom she worked for a year on a manuscript for Watkins's suc
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
August 28, 2008
This is SUCH a cute story! And such a sweet-looking little doggie. We checked it out from our church library -- the best part of getting books there is finding old gems like this one!
Note: the one WE read is the original 1965 edition. Apparently there's a 2004 reissue with new illustrations, and from what we see of it at Amazon, it's nowhere near as cute as the original illustrations.
Note: the one WE read is the original 1965 edition. Apparently there's a 2004 reissue with new illustrations, and from what we see of it at Amazon, it's nowhere near as cute as the original illustrations.
April 4, 2020
Bookaday #17. Ode to all the stray neighborhood dogs who find a home.
February 9, 2025
Sweet story from the 1960s where a neighborhood learns to love a stray dog.
April 17, 2023
It was cute
July 19, 2011
What a sweet old book to read to children. The book was first published in 1954. The edition I have was printed in 1965. Brownie is a cute little dog that doesn't belong to anyone. Three different people feed him and let him sleep in their house-but all complain. Then Brownie is take to the dog pound and everyone misses him. Yes, there is a happy ending!
July 4, 2008
I love this book. And the illustrations from the older version are really charming.
July 25, 2008
The story of Brownie the part-time dog was a frequent selection for bedtime reading with my parents.
January 31, 2010
Cute story and illustrations. Our family can't pass up a dog book.
April 28, 2010
Many thanks to Diane for recommending this one. Go Brownie!
July 15, 2012
This was my favorite picture book as a little girl. It's about a little longhair Dachshund who wants to find the perfect home. Really sweet illustrations throughout!
September 28, 2013
One of my favorite stories as a child. My gramma and I read it often before naptime. A wonderful story about a little dog with multiple households to care for him.
November 10, 2013
I read this delightful book with my grandson.
The wording was simple, and easy for a 5 year old to understand. The illustrations were wonderful! We loved looking at the realistic drawings.
The wording was simple, and easy for a 5 year old to understand. The illustrations were wonderful! We loved looking at the realistic drawings.
September 25, 2014
The illustrations in this book will melt your heart; the dog is so adorable. The plot is very cute and simple with a good message in the end about loyalty and trust. I definitely enjoyed this book!
October 5, 2016
Yes this is a children's book but the story is just so perfect. It is just a lovely reminder not to take anything for granted and to be thankful for what we have.
September 22, 2013
Aww such a cute book heartwarming :)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews