Elaine Arsenault’s book “Doggie in the Window” is a flight of fancy. Doggie wants to catch the attention of a seamstress and goes to great lengths to have her notice him. The story is comic and the illustrations are sweet. I certainly thought about Nodelman’s biases in children’s literature as I read this book. The world is a happy place and dreams can come true, if you work hard. These values certainly correspond to the market bias. Yet somehow the overall effect of the book is dream-like and might open a conversation about the bias due to its imaginative format. Is this possible? What if the dog was a child and not a pet?
Thematic links to fantasy, imagination, pets, dreams and wishes.
