A Home for Dakota

By Jan Zita Grover; Illustrated by Nancy Lane

Book cover titled 'A Home for Dakota' featuring an illustrated husky puppy lying on a red blanket.

Dog No. 241 lives in a crate in a cold, dark barn that is stacked with hundreds of other caged dogs in a puppy mill breeding operation. She has never known human companionship, exercise, or decent care. One night, rescuers arrive and take her and the other dogs away to lead new and happier lives. Soon, despite her fears, she finds herself in a warm, secure foster home, being bathed and groomed and loved by a young woman named Emma. At first, she is too frightened to respond; all she wants is to return to the familiar dark.

Eventually renamed Dakota, she learns to love and trust Emma, and her foster home becomes a friendly haven. But then a new challenge arrives in the person of a young girl, Sweetie, who is recovering from a misfortune as deep as Dakota’s own. Sweetie and her parents come to look at Dakota as a possible pet. Initially, Sweetie rejects hairless little Dakota, but later she returns to offer Dakota a home, and Emma recommends her for adoption. With Emma’s reassurances, Dakota goes to her forever home to become Sweetie’s true partner in recovery.

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Classroom Guide

  • Dogs, Adoption, Puppy Mills

  • Hardcover

  • 32 pages

  • 1st Grade, 2nd Grade

  • 5-8 Years

  • 0940719479

  • 9780940719477

A detailed, realistically illustrated portrait of a fluffy dog, likely a Tibetan Mastiff, sitting with its mouth open and tongue out, with dark and light fur.
A collage of various animated and real dogs, cats, birds, and a few humans.

Awards and Honors

Gold medal with black text reading "Humane Society Youth KIND Children's Book Award Honor Book 2009".

2009 Humane Society of United States Kind Children Children’s Book Award, Winner, Best Children’s Picture Book of the Year

Gold-colored award medal inscription reading, 'The ASPCA Henry Bergh Foundation American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Book Award,' featuring a silhouette of a person with a hat and a horse.

2008 Henry Bergh Children’s Book Award, Best Picture Book, Companion Animals

A collage of various animal and human faces in a horizontal strip at the top of the image.

Reviews

  • School Library Journal

    “From the touching cover illustration to the playful depictions of Dakota on the endpapers, this empathetic tale of a puppy-mill dog will resonate with animal lovers.

    Dakota is almost hairless and has sore feet from standing on the wire flooring of her cage. A volunteer, Emma, fosters her and eventually finds her a loving home. Dakota’s future owner, a girl who is sick and has lost her hair, at first rejects the pup because she considers her ugly, but she later bonds with the animal. This part of the story is not completely convincing. However, the illustrations of the dog enjoying her first bath and comfortable bed are wonderful. Lane also captures the pet’s vulnerability as she learns to walk and to enjoy companionship. The atrocious conditions and tragic lives of these creatures are briefly and accurately described. This sensitive portrayal will educate young readers through its poignant story and the brief facts provided at the end about helping such dogs.”

  • Sheila Schwartz, Ed.D. (Chairperson of the United Federation of Teachers, Humane Education Committee, NYC)

    “A Home for Dakota is a poignant story of hope. The text and outstanding illustrations will help to build understanding, empathy, and compassion in young readers toward both dogs and other children. This book is a must-read in elementary school classrooms and will be the springboard for valuable discussions and research. Highly recommended.”

  • Stephanie Bucalo (Humane Education Specialist)

    “This timely and empathy-provoking story about an endearing dog will bring greater awareness to an important issue and become a resource that will help dogs like Dakota.”

Illustration of a shelter with multiple cages filled with various small dogs and puppies. The cages are stacked on top of each other, with some dogs sitting or lying down, and others looking out. The floor appears messy, with scattered debris, and th
A toddler-sized pink and brown puppy sitting on a blue cushion on a wooden floor, looking at a woman crouching in front of it, on a bright yellow wall with text, in a cozy home with a living room and hallway visible in the background.
An illustration of a woman hugging a small dog with its head on her shoulder, holding its paw. She has red hair and is wearing a yellow shirt. On the right side, the woman is sitting on the floor, folding a blanket next to the dog and a bowl of food.
A girl with red hair in a purple shirt petting a dog lying on a blue bed, with another girl in a pink hat and teal shirt crouching to talk to a sitting dog on a pink background.
A young girl in a bed with pink and white floral pillows, holding her black and white dog named Dakota. The bed has a green blanket, and a nightstand with a vase of flowers, a clock, and medicine bottles. The room has pastel yellow and green walls.