Walter the Farting Dog

My 9 year old daughter is in immersion Spanish at school. I bought this book for her to help build her reading and comprehension. This book has pictures on every page which helps her with context, and used a number of new words which is great for vocabulary building. Better yet, the story was funny and that kept her interested. She loved it and talked about it for days.

Much about this book is controversial. Is the subject matter crude? Was the story stolen? Are the illustrations well done? Should it be in public schools? Does it uphold pet kindness? And on and on.

As a frequent reader at grammar schools, I mulled over the yeas and nays of Walter the Farting Dog. The teacher who requested that I read Walter to his sixth grade class assured me that he thought the book was appropriate. Still I wavered, not wanting to create a situation where irate parents could protest. The teacher became more insistent and more demanding (making me even more reluctant) and I spent much time reflecting on my decision.

First thought: The book is funny. I don't consider the topic of farting to be obscene, and only mildly crude (that's probably because I'm a retired firefighter and farting around the firehouse was as common as whistling a happy tune). But it is funny, there's no denying it. I include the occurrence now and then in my own writing.

Second thought: In my opinion the story line is clever, the illustrations well done, and the idea is entertaining, a must for reading to ten and eleven year-olds.

Third thought: The dog pound threat would probably have never been carried out based on Father's compassion for his children. And, I have never been terribly impressed with opinions on books that are based on personal convictions.

Fourth thought: The story idea, while not very involved, is based on an idea I've not seen before (the fart being a weapon to foil an attempted crime).

So I read the book to the class the other day, complete with electronic sound effects inserted at appropriate times. The students loved it, and based on feedback to the teacher from parents, the topic seemed perfectly okay with them. My conclusion? Times are changing but I'm still a tad uncomfortable with the book because I'd hate to see farting gain complete social acceptance.

My husband and I both enjoy reading Walter books to our daughter, and at only 4 1/2 months old it's one of the few books that she'll sit still for.

My now-6-year-old grandson has loved the Walter books since he was about 4 and discovered the joy of "farting" jokes. We also bought the Walter stuffed toy that farts to add to the joy. His great grandmother frowned, but if you want to make a kid in this age range light up, this book series is a winner.

I just love this series of books. I give them to my great nephew, he loves them!!! He and his father get the biggest kick out of them when they read them together. I also love the fact that they do have a good message. That no matter what our faults, all creatures need to be loved and cared for for who and what they are. I plan on having and giving the whole set of these books :-)