By Lynda Graham-Barber; Illustrated by Nancy Lane

Cookie’s Fortune

A watercolor illustration of a small brown puppy sitting in a messy, overflowing trash area. The trash includes paper, plastic, and discarded food items. The background features a green wall with the title 'Cookies's Fortune' in bold orange letters, and credits for the text and illustration at the bottom.

In simple, poetic language, with captivating art that portrays the challenges of a huge city, Cookie’s Fortune depicts a stray dog as she searches for food, shelter, and comfort. Compelling and age-appropriate, this adorable stray’s quest will engage animal-loving children, their parents, teachers, and librarians with its message of hope and compassion.

The story is based on the author’s own adoption of a dog she saved from a subway station. The final page is filled with information for parents and other adults who want to learn more about the subject.

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Watercolor painting of a curled-up puppy, wrapped in a blue blanket.
Classroom Guide

  • Dogs, Animal Welfare, Adoption

  • 24 Pages

  • Hardcover

  • 3-7 years

  • Preschool - 2nd Grade

  • 0940719398

  • 9780940719392

Broken cookies with attached paper tags containing inspirational messages

Reviews

  • Kirkus Reviews

    “Little dog lost—and found.

    Dogs go missing all the time. Plenty of them have lost their ways. Many more likely have been abandoned. This tale doesn’t tell readers how Cookie—a little ragamuffin of a dog—came to be a lost dog in the big city, but that is her opening circumstance. Nothing looks right, nothing smells right. “The little dog walked / and walked / and walked,” the repetition putting readers in the dog’s paws. Night comes, and the dog wanders into a junkyard for some cover. “The car looked forgotten, / as forgotten as the little lost dog.” The text tells a story, painting wrenching scenes—“The forgotten dog and the forgotten car / stood stark against the pale pink dawn”—and affirming ones. It also has a sharp point. Dogs like Cookie often end up in shelters, and fewer end up as rescue dogs. (A page of information at the back of the book suggests ways readers can help shelters and offers plenty of stark facts for caregivers to consider when thinking about bringing a dog into the house.)

    Moving in all the right ways, which includes the optimism of a happy ending.”

  • Marion Dane Bauer (Writer and Teacher)

    “In spare, lyrical text and touching illustrations, this small book takes us on a journey into compassion. May every lost little dog be blessed with Cookie’s fortune, and may you and I be part of that blessing.”

  • Ted and Betsy Lewin (Caldecott medalists, "Peppe the Lamplighter, "Click, Clack: Moo Cows That Type")

    “Lynda Barber's poignant story and Nancy Lane's affecting illustrations make you want to run right out and rescue a dog for the sheer joy it brings to both of you.”

  • Julie Larios (Author, Teacher, and Pushcart Prize Winner)

    “Just what every young reader needs - a hero who is cute as a button, scrappy, sniffy, stinky, and looking for love! Lynda Barber's story, filled with perfect read-aloud repetitions, does Cookie proud.”

A young brown dog running across a wet city street with a yellow taxi and a black car passing by, reflecting in a puddle.
An illustration of a quiet city alleyway at dusk with a little lost dog sniffing the ground in a yellow spotlight, surrounded by old brick buildings, streetlights, and a bridge overhead. A poem about a lost dog is included on the right side.
A brown dog sitting on the sidewalk looking up at a man in a white coat and nurse's hat offering a cookie, with a woman nearby holding a leash and a green trash bin behind them.
A woman in a blue shirt squatting and holding a small brown puppy, talking to a girl in a blue shirt and colorful shorts, with an adult partially visible nearby. They are at a pet shelter with a metal gate and a water bowl on the floor.
Illustration of a small, happy, brown dog with floppy ears and a pink collar, sitting on the floor with its front paws raised as if reaching up, near a brick wall.
A girl with curly hair in a ponytail hugging a small brown dog with a pink collar and a heart-shaped tag that says "Cookie". The girl is smiling and looking down at the dog, which appears happy. The background is yellow and has a watercolor texture.