Three

by Stephen Michael King

A heartwarming story of a three-legged dog who follows his nose all over the city, out to the country, and into the arms of a new friend.

One, two, three...
One, two, three...
Every day was a skip
And a hop
For Three.

As a three-legged dog on his own in the big city, Three does pretty well for himself. His waggly tail keeps him fed, and he meets so many different legged creatures along the way. He's happy just the way he is, but sometimes he wonders what it'd be like to have a real home. That all changes when he wanders into the country and meets a quirky young girl and her welcoming family.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Animals, Childrens, Family, Fiction, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

Stephen Michael King has illustrated, written, and designed many books for children, including The Duck and the Darklings by Glenda Millard. He lives in Australia.

Reviews

[Ken Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three is number 1 by me!

I have a new hero, a new favourite character, and his name is Three. I couldn’t help being drawn in by his charismatic charm and optimistic view of the world. Three has the most endearing nature which sees him thrive in the big city among other multi-legged creatures.

Three loves to go on adventures. Every day is a skip and a hop to the beat of one … two … three. One … two … three, all the way along town. Such a loveable character.

Three is missing a leg, by all accounts, most dogs have four. But you wouldn’t know it. Three is so full of life and wonder that he takes everything in his stride.

One day, Three skipped and hopped his way right out of town and into the slow moving countryside, where he encounters creatures with six legs and four legs and two legs and two legs pretending to be three legs and flying six legs and even sliding no legs.

Here, Three meets a girl named Fern. They instantly bond, and Three finds a friend and a family. And, more amazing adventures await Three and his new life in the country.

The illustrations are so Stephen Michael King, by that I mean they’re super fun, full of colour and expressive characters that tell the story in their own unique and quirky way.

If you’re looking for a book that portrays positivity, friendliness, thankfulness, acceptance and encourages a love of life, then skip and hop … One … two … three. One … two … three into your local bookstore or library and call out, “Here Three.”

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly beautiful book that reminds us to be thankful - even with the small things. Also great for teaching empathy. This would be a great book to read as a springboard for creating a gratitude journal.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book. And Three is a gorgeous pooch. I loved when he talked about getting caught in the rain and this made him feel clean. I love that because I never thought about it that way for a dog. Then he found his people... aww. Love this book!

[Clare Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Three! How I love thee.

Stephen Michael King + dogs = heaven

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three is a three-legged dog who lives on the streets and goes where his nose leads him. One day, he walks all the way out to the countryside where he meets a friendly girl who takes him into her family.
This is a charming story of friendship and belonging, and also about being considerate to the animals in our world.

A friend has a three-legged dog, and this book gets 5 stars for her daughter.

[Alethea · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Lachlan, Mum & I visited Grandma on 16 Nov 2024, Grandma said this was her favourite picture book of Stephen's from an educational perspective! As there are lots of fun numbers, like Three describing ants as "little six legs". Also, excellent for its disability representation.

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredibly sweet book that teaches about contentment, being yourself, empathy and compassion. Lovely!

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful book! Wonderful illustrations and such a sweet story! Loved it!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be proud of your differences. Animal or human.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was so precious 😭

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5

Marvellous book. NOT TO BE MISSED. https://vimeo.com/413351446

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Miss my little tripawd every day.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful story, fantastic illustrations.

[Jennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three is a three legged dog that view all that he encounters according to their number of legs. A free roaming spirit, Three survives in the town through the kindness of others and is happy in all situations. One day his wandering takes him beyond the town, and in the countryside he meets new creatures with varying numbers of legs and then comes across a two leg, Fern, who is different from all the other two legs he has met. Her openness and accepting view of world, and a three leg dog is just right, and Three finds what he didn't know he was missing - a home.

A soft and gentle story told with feeling and illustrated in King's trademark buoyant and lively style with colour, movement, perspective and expressive bodies and faces. A birds eye view maps and some marked pathways of Three's journey make this a great book for story mapping.
Shortlisted 2020 CBCA Book of the Year: Picture Book

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am a big fan of Stephen Michael King's illustration style so pretty much anything with his name on it finds its way into my collection!

This sweet book is about the adventures of a happy homeless dog named Three who has only three legs. It has lots of opportunities for counting (Three identifies others by their number of legs) and explores themes of belonging and gratitude. Stephen Michael King's illustrations are full of heart and quirkiness, perfectly offsetting the story. Recommended for 3-7 year olds.

[JkW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aaaaww... A sweet little story with cute illustrations.

[Dimity Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genteel heartswelling masterpiece from a master storyteller and artist. See my full review at DIM'S re VIEWS - Dim's Write Stuff Blog. Highly recommended.

[Annaliese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous story and illustrations.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book is a 3.5 for me, and I'd urge all elementary classrooms to stock it in their library. It delivers a message of acceptance and positivity in a charming and heartwarming way. I wish more individuals were like Fern, the little girl in the story. Three is a homeless dog who doesn't let his disability or his lack of a home slow him down. Readers never learn how he came to be homeless or how he lost a leg, but they will quickly realize that he lives by his charm and his wits as the text and lightly- colored illustrations demonstrate. The text even uses phrases such as "a skip and a hop" (unpaged) to mimic Three's movement, and several images rely on little red dots across the cityscape to show where he has traveled. As he moves from spot to spot, Three notices the different numbers of legs that others have and is grateful for the three legs he himself has. In fact, he decides that he wouldn't want to have four legs since they don't always serve their owners particularly well. On one life-changing day, Three wanders away from his customary routes in the city and stumbles upon a small farm with a cow, a hen, a pig, and a rabbit. He has no words for these creatures but only identifies them by the number of legs they have and other physical characteristics. He spends the day playing with Fern, who lives there with her mother and little brother. Fern eagerly welcomes him into her family, making it complete with his addition. I loved much of this book, all the way until the end, but I was looking for something else to conclude the story. While I can easily see that Fern and Three are grateful for each other and enjoying all their imaginative play, the ending just didn't satisfy me. That said, it's wonderful to have for sharing with youngsters a picture book focusing on a character who is accepted just as he is. It's clear that Three has found the best place in the world for him.

[Taylor Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautiful picture book that follows a three-legged dog that sees that other animals and even humans by the number of legs they have, not by what they are. This dog does not let his disability or even the fact that he does not have a home get in the way of anything he still is grateful for his life and makes comments like he would not even want four legs since they do not seem to suit their owners well. Throughout the story we see the three-legged dog travel across the city to a farm area, his movement is shown across a double page spread. On this page no words are seen but the illustration there are red dots that show his movement from one area to another. Once he reaches the farm he encounters farm, animals and eventually a little girl named Fern who welcomes him into her family. She takes him into her home even making him a warm place to sleep. This would be a great story to have inside a classroom library for many reasons such as, the little dog's acceptance of himself as he is, the little girl's acceptance, and of course showcasing that there are differences in the world.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are all kinds of animals, including people, with various numbers of legs. This story tells about Three, wandering through the day happy as can be. He was glad when it rained because he felt clean. His "waggly tail kept him well fed". Sometimes, he wandered and looked for a home, "wherever his nose led". Stephen Michael King writes and illustrates a special story of a positive dog with three legs, happy not to have legs too long (like horses) or too many to count (like caterpillars), yes, all positive. In all his walking, he was happy. One day he walked out of the city and met a young girl named Fern, and they seemed meant to be together. Three found his home! First published in Australia, this is published in the U.S. just this year. It's a lovely (and happy) story, just like Three.

[Sue Cottrill · Rating 5 out of 5]

An affable pup named Three, has 3 legs and navigates his way through his everyday world. Three's way of seeing the world in terms of "leg count" is funny and creative. When Three encounters a cow, he sees it as, "... a four leg with two spikes on its head." So, there are plenty of counting opportunities for the reader as they share his journey. The illustrations are energetic and charming, with Three looking "just scruffy enough" to want to take him home for yourself.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet and optimistic story about a little three-legged dog who has many friends in the city, but no special person to call his own. A story that you may expect to be sad isn't, and the little dog maintains a smile throughout the pages--most of all when he discovers a young girl who wants to be his caretaker. This story is gentle and happy enough to share with a wide audience that includes sensitive listeners.

[Jessica Bunce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super sweet book about differences and friendship. Beautiful illustrations and clever wordplay.

- Parental notes in case they’re helpful: mom is seen practicing yoga and there’s only a mommy and brother, no daddy, prompting my toddler to ask where her daddy was. This instigated some good conversation though, because we’re not told where he is, only that the dog, mommy, brother, and girl would make a perfect “four.”

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolute charmer of a picture book. Three is a 3-legged dog who lives in a big city full of 2 legs. He also meet 6 legs, and eight legs as the story goes on. Soon he finds himself away from the city and face to face with a sweet little two leg who makes him feel loved and safe.

Great illustration. Wonderful story with good pacing. Great moral.

[Mindy Alyse Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet story. Three is adorable…I loved viewing the world through his eyes. So unique to count every creature by the number of legs. I especially love that he doesn’t feel like he’s missing a leg…he likes himself just the way he is. This is an amazing, inspiring dog who discovers the bright side of every situation.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three's name describes his number of legs and he sees the world in terms of how many legs the others in it have. He stubbles upon a home and lives happily ever after. It is a nice story and I really enjoyed it. It isn't a traditional story arc, with the three attempts to solve a problem and a solution, but I didn't mind. I really enjoy stories like this. The art is wonderful also.

[Bethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of a tripod dog, a free spirit roaming the town, making friends with all the creatures, until he finds himself in the country, where he meets kindred spirit in a little girl on a farm. Love how Three knows to cross the busy streets at the crosswalk. Lots to look at in the exuberant illustrations.

[charlene.librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet book about a dog who has three legs and all the places he goes throughout the city from here to there. He encounters myriad numbers of legs on all kinds of things from chairs to horses to millipedes. And then, he goes out to the country and meets a girl named Fern. The illustration is colorful and cheerful.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three is a dog with only three legs, living on his own in the city. He is curious about the 6 legged, 2 legged, 8 legged and 4 legged creatures he sees, but he is glad to be 3 legged. One day he goes exploring and ends up farther from the city than usual and meets a wonderful young girl named Fern who has a loving and welcoming home. I love the illustrations and this sweet story.