This award-winning Archway paperback is being reissued in Minstrel this month to reach Bill Wallace's wider audience of middle grade readers. A starving stray is looking for food in Ricky's backyard, but Ricky is terrified because he was once bitten by a rabid dog. But when he realizes that the pup could starve, Ricky overcomes his fear and makes a special new friend.
The puppy was small and fuzzy, with a friendly, wagging tail -- and Ricky was afraid of him
No wonder, since he was attacked by a dog when he was just a baby. So when a stray puppy comes sniffling around the farm, Ricky tells it to get lost.
But the puppy keeps trying to play with Ricky. And every time Ricky's Mom feeds the cats, the little dog comes running. The cats aren't sharing their food, however, and the poor pup is slowly starving.
If Ricky doesn't overcome his fear, the little puppy may die -- but if he lets himself get close enough to feed it, he may find the best friend he's ever had
Winner of the Texas Bluebonnet, the Oklahoma Sequoyah and the Nebraska Golden Sower Awards.