The Poky Little Puppy

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The Poky Little Puppy is a children's book written by Janette Sebring Lowrey and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren. It was first published in 1942 in the Simon and Schuster series Little Golden Books.

In the 80's a short-lived plush Poky was released, but did not sell well.

As of the year 2000, it was the single all-time best-selling hardcover children's book in English; according to Publishers Weekly, it had sold nearly 15 million copies.[1]

The Poky Little Puppy's appeal is possibly explained by the main character's independent, almost rebellious mentality. Instead of following his siblings on adventures, the Poky Little Puppy decides to sniff a different patch of grass. In the beginning, his independence is rewarded. The puppies all dig underneath a fence to escape from their yard, but only the Poky Little Puppy's siblings are caught. The Poky Little Puppy avoids punishment because he's off exploring as his mother scolds his siblings, and he comes home alone after everyone is asleep. The Poky Little Puppy then eats the rice pudding that the mother was planning to give all the puppies but withheld because of the fence-digging incident.

Only at the end of the book, when the puppies make amends with their mother, does fate catch up to the Pokey Little Puppy. His siblings enjoy some strawberry shortcake, while the Poky Little Puppy is no where to be found. He misses out on the shortcake, and the book concludes with Poky Little Puppy going to bed without a bite and feeling "very sorry for himself."

Thus, the rebel discovers the consequences of his actions, though in a round-about way. Children might relate to this pattern of behavior and consequences because they, too, are attempting to understand the differences between conformity and rebellion and the consequences of each.