Harry's Squirrel Trouble

by Gene Zion, Margaret Bloy Graham (Illustrator)

The beloved character Harry the Dirty Dog returns in this brand-new Level One I Can Read! A fun story to share with all dog fans, as well as families and classrooms. Harry, the mischievous little white dog with black spots, isn’t happy when the children blame him for a squirrel’s bad behavior. When he tries to explain what happened, he only makes it worse. Can Harry find a way out of trouble? Harry's Squirrel Trouble is a Level One I Can Read and Guided Reading Level J, which means it’s perfect for children learning to sound out words and sentences. Whether shared at home or in a classroom, the short sentences, familiar words, and simple concepts of Level One books support success for children eager to start reading on their own. Created in the style of Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham, this is an irresistible I Can Read story featuring a classic children’s book character—perfect for young dog lovers and fans of Harry the Dirty Dog! Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham’s Harry the Dirty Dog has been recognized by the National Education Association as an all-time top-100 children's book. It has also been welcomed by a new generation at home, as Betty White's 2020 reading of the story on StorylineOnline has been viewed more than 9 million times.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens

32 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2022

About the author

Born on October 5, in 1913, Gene Zion attended the New School of Social Research and the Pratt Institute. In 1948, he married artist Margaret Bloy Graham, who then collaborated with him on all his picture books. When their marriage ended in 1968, Zion also ended his career as an author. Zion is best known for his creation of the rascally dog, Harry, who appears in such books as HARRY THE DIRTY DOG and HARRY BY THE SEA. He died in 1975.

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry absolutely loves his yard and wants nothing more than to be a good dog. One day, a squirrel takes up residence in his yard and that’s when things take a turn. The squirrel destroys the flowers, digs holes, and more while Harry just wants to enjoy his surroundings. He wants to stop the squirrel but the only thing his endeavors lead to is the shift of blame to him. But Harry is a good dog and needs to prove to his owners who the real culprit is. If only he could speak human.

HARRY’S SQUIRREL PROBLEM is a cute and silly story about a dog who just wants to enjoy his yard. His fun is spoiled by a squirrel and the reader gets to witness the classic dog versus squirrel. With that being said, it gives off some Tom and Jerry vibes and my daughter and I love it. It’s an easy to read book that’s perfect for early readers. My daughter’s six years old and enjoyed learning to read this book. The illustrations are adorable and soft so they don’t distract the child’s eyes from the words.


Final Verdict: Overall, HARRY’S SQUIRREL PROBLEM is a cute story for early readers that’ll leave them smiling and laughing. It’s perfect for fans of animals or for those who have pet dogs.

[Renate Deutsche Oma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well written easy reader children's story about Harry the black and white dog and a mischievous back yard squirrel. My five year old granddaughter, who loves watching squirrels enjoyed reading the story with our stuffie squirrels Sammy and Sassy. Harry is a smart dog that figures out a solution to his problem.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a pesky squirrel in Harry's backyard who is constantly making a mess. Unfortunately, no one knows this but Harry and worse still, Harry is blamed for the mess. Little ones, especially those who are fans of the series, will empathize with Harry's plight and will appreciate the satisfying ending.

[Kelly]

Honestly, I was a little scared that it wouldn't have a happy ending, but Harry is smarter than that. He knew how to make a good ending. I thought this book was really cute. But the whole, level 1 thing? I think it's way higher than a level one. Have you seen Ready to Read level 1s? They're what I'd expect. A few words per page. This level one is a few full sentences per page.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A squirrel is doing pesky things in the back yard, and Harry keeps getting blamed for them! Is he doomed to suffer for the squirrel's wrong doings, or can his name be cleared?

Oh those pesky squirrels. Those with a strong sense of justice will delight in the outcome of this book and be happy that Harry's little owners have good observation skills.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's a squirrel that keeps causing trouble in Harry's yard and Harry keeps getting blamed for it. Will he be able to clear his name?

This is a cute read and Harry will have his readers rooting for him as he works hard to clear his name. I loved his problem solving skills and his smart way of letting his owners pick up that he isn't the culprit!

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yeah, it's cute, and Harry's character is more like in the original Harry books by George Zion, but there is a strange lack of conclusion to this book.

A squirrel is making poor Harry's life hell. She's also causing minor vandalism on the family's property. And they're letting her live?

Don't think so.

[Sue Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun reading a new Harry story, having read and loved all Gene Zion's Harry books when I was a child. This book was NOT written by Gene Zion, but by Laura Driscoll, based on the characters Gene Zion created, but Laura has captured the feeling of the previous books.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Harry is blamed for damage around the yard he must figure out how to get the children to see it was actually caused by a squirrel.

Illustrator Saba Joshaghani is to be commended for faithfully replicating the artwork from the original books.

[Tiff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry the dog has squirrel trouble and it keeps the reader engaged and turning the next page. Fun illustrations take up most of the page with simple large text sentences. Classic read.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hadn't realized this book isn't written by the same person as the other Harry books. The illustrations don't match the original books, which is part of the fun of them.

[Gideon Paulson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The squirrel picked flowers.

[Thaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would get feral if I kept getting blamed for something I didn’t do.

[Nadina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay, not the best Harry story. It was definitely a very easy read.

[Diana Salazar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is not actually written by Zion. It is only based on the original character and written to simulate the style of the author. It was good but feels weird to high jack someone’s legacy.