Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion and Margaret Bloy Graham {1956}

My three year old daughter recently met Harry the Dirty Dog for the first time, and has been enamored with him ever since. This lovable puppy will the steal the hearts of parent and child alike!

Plot. Beloved pet Harry hates baths so much that he runs away from home, only to get so filthy that he is unrecognizable to his family.

Thematic Elements. Sometimes you have to do things that you would really rather not do, and that is for the best.

Educational Opportunities. Discuss what constitutes "messy" and "dirty". This is a prime opportunity for lessons in hygiene and cleanliness- the importance of it and how to do it.

In many of the pages where Harry is getting dirty, he is kind of hard to spot. Make this into a look- and-find activity, kind of like Where is Waldo?.

Activities. 

• The mom who blogs at Squashed Tomatoes has several great ideas- a role play sensory bin with mud, toy dogs, and water; baking dog bone shaped cookies, and making a white print out dog dirty with thumbprints in black ink. Check it out! 
• Alison at Oopsey Daisy also has loads of great ideas to share- she planned a "D is for Dog" week of lessons and activities with her little guy, including a really cute Harry craft and snacks. 
• Serve these spotted yogurt cups to your kids while you read the book together at snack time.
• Print and color all of these adorable Harry coloring pages. 

Other Resources. You can watch Betty White read the book here.

Be sure to also check out... Harry by the Sea, No Roses for Harry, and Harry and the Lady Next Door.

Looking for more great books to read with your preschooler? Check out the rest of this 31 Days series here!

Some of the links above are affiliate links- which means that if you make a purchase through them, I receive a small profit at no extra charge to you. But you should know that I am an avid believer in reading for free through both local and church libraries ;). Thanks for supporting The Purposeful Wife!