A dog remembers the time before he came to a home where he is loved, a time when he ran with a pack of strays until they were caught, a time when he and the others were caged, a time when his old companions of the streets were chosen one by one until only he was left. "My heart was a cold, starless night-until your face shone through the bars like a mini sun ... Now we're home!" Home means bowl and bones and bed and boy. Clearly, home means joy. Meg Kearney's moving narrative is shaped from fine language and deep feeling both in this picture book about a three-legged dog's journey to home that is based on the story of her own family's pet, and beautifully illustrated by E. B. Lewis. (Ages 5-8)

A moving story of a three-legged stray dog who finds a loving boy to call his own--illustrated by Caldecott Honor Book artist E.B. Lewis. Based on a true story.

Trouper ran with a mob of mutts who tripped over trash cans and pawed the cold streets for bones. They howled and cried and wished for a home. Until one day, the dogs are captured from off the streets and put in cages in a shelter as they wait to be adopted. Trouper watches sadly as, one by one, each of his dog friends are chosen. He's the only one left until finally, one lucky day, just the right boy comes around and finds that this three-legged mutt is the perfect pet for him!