101 Dalmatians

by Dodie Smith

Book Overview

The book that inspired the animated movie classic!

When Dearly's Dalmatians have their first litter of pups--fifteen in all--everyone is delighted. But their joy is shortlived, for the pups are kidnapped! Scotland Yard is baffled, but the keenest canine minds are on the case--and on the trail of Cruella de Vil, the most fiendish person to ever covet a fur coat.

Pongo and Missis would give everything they have to bring their puppies safely home... but will they succeed in rescuing them from the cluthes of the evil Cruella de Vil?

"A tale full to overflowing with those prime requisites of a good story--warmth and humor, imagination and suspense."--Chicago Sunday Tribune

"Superb reading. The puzzle of the hundred and one is delightful.... Highly recommended."--SLJ

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140340343
• ISBN13: 9780140340341
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

ruffing good read

if you like the disney movie or cartoon show then the book is a good place to start. i got my hand of the movie cover.

Not as pictured

Ordered a copy with the original cover, received a copy with a cover from THE ANIMATED DISNEY MOVIE. Total scam. DO NOT TRUST THE PICTURE ON THIS SITE.

A review for the parents, with some dog advice

I won my tattered, dog eared, Disyned-fied copy of "100 Dalmatians" in a school auction when I was 7 years old. I learned to read late because I'm dyslexic (hence any bad spelling you may notice) so this was the first real chapter book that I ever owned and the very first I read. It was great. This is a fabulous novel for all ages but especially for kids. I'm not going to re-hash the plot because I think the whole world knows it by now. The themes of good parenting, loyalty, and of course, good, intelligent, kind dogs are things that every child should learn. It is true that this book contains some talk of puppy killing, which didn't disturb me, and I'm guessing that today's 7 year olds wouldn't be scared by it either. Another reason to read, or let your child read this book is that it will encourage a love of dogs, and having grown up with dogs every minute of my life, I can tell you having one (or more) helps immensely in all kinds of situations, social and otherwise. It provides an example of love and loyalty, as well as the responsibility involved in feeding and caring for a dog. However on that note Dalmatians, contrary to the lovable Pongo, Missus and Perdita in this book, do not make good dogs for children. They don't have the temperament for it. If you read this book and decide to get a dog for your child (an excellent idea) I recommend a good old fashioned mutt (they're smarter because they're not inbred) or a border collie, which can actually be trained to be nannies for children because of their sheep herding instincts. Anyway, five stars. Great for the whole family, and an excellent way to encourage reading in a child of any age. At 18 years old I still love reading this book. And the sequel, "The Twilight Barking" isn't half bad either.

Better than the movie

This book is wonderful. When Disney changed it into a movie, the story lost many of its special touches, and the story was no longer told so much as shown from the dog's perspective. The main plot of the story is similar to that of Disney's animated movie, but contains many small differences, and more detail. These differences are what make the book as good as it is. In the book, right after Pongo and his wife Missus Pongo have their 15 puppies, everyone is worried about how one dog will feed 15 puppies without losing strength. The solution to their problem comes in the form of a stray Dalmatian, found on the side of the road, whom they name Perdita. Perdita has a history of her own, and her sub-plot is one of the many things that add depth to the story, but were lost in the movie. The story is told, continuously, from a dog's point of view. It is mentioned how humans believe that they own dogs; whereas the truth is that the dogs own them. Pongo and Missus continually refer to their humans as their pets, and one can see that mentality in their conversations. All the dogs in the story seem to enjoy doting on their humans. Another interesting quirk is how the dogs are `married'. Pongo continually refers to Missus as his wife, and she calls him husband. A dog's marriage ceremony does not seem to take very long, or require a priest or government official. Two willing dogs can run off into the forest, and when they come back, be married. Puppies will most likely come soon after. Throughout the book are scattered illustrations. These pictures are done in black, white, and shades of grey, and look like well-shade pencil drawings. They are beautiful, and very life-like. A wonderful book, it is much better than Disney's movie. Full of fun tales, even in the midst of the puppies flight from Cruella's house. Loggie-log-log-log

One of my all time favorites

I read this book over 25 years ago and it is still as fresh in my mind now as it was when I sat under the covers with a flashlight, reading after my bed time. I remember thinking how wonderful the "twilight bark" was and I loved the inventiveness of the plot and storyline. To this day when I hear dogs barking at night, I wonder.... I now have three children of my own and have purchased the book for my oldest son. I just caught him with his book light, under his covers after "lights out"!

The first and still the best

The live-action Disney version of this book was the pits. The animated version wasn't bad at all (I own it). But the book is better than either of them. And, like all the best kids' books, this one, though written for 8-14's, can still be enjoyed when you're way past childhood.Disney necessarily simplified the story and characters for his movie versions, cutting out a lot of the subtle characterization and background that makes the book seem so completely plausible. Here, instead of "Roger and Anita," we have "the Dearlys," a businessman and his bride, who are "owned" by Pongo and--not Perdita, but "Missis"--and have not one "Nanny" but two, "Nanny Cook" (a real cook) and "Nanny Butler" (a real butler). We learn of Cruella deVil's sinister family history, her furrier husband (never mentioned in the films), and her obsession with furs. We learn that her employees, the Baddun Brothers, dream of appearing on "What's My Crime?" Many of the Pongos' pups--Lucky, Patch, Cadpig, Roly--are fleshed out as they never were on the screen. The sheepdog Colonel is less of a buffoon and more a shrewd strategist. The drama of the puppies' births and early lives is much better portrayed, as is the journey of Pongo and Missis to Suffolk to rescue their stolen family, with introductions to the dogs that help them on their way--the hospitable Golden Retriever, the aged Spaniel and his "pet," 90-year-old Sir Charles, the flighty Irish Setter whose efforts come to naught through a fire, and the tough Staffordshire who occupies the moving van the Dalmatians board to shorten their homeward trip. Cruella's white Persian cat is here too--a clever animal "biding her time" as she waits for the opportunity to settle the score for her drowned litters--and so is the sheepdog's "pet," two-year-old Tommy Tompkins, who lends his toy hay-cart to the army of London-bound dogs. Yet despite a certain anthropomorphization, all the animals are recognizably animals; they behave as such and don't do anything you couldn't visualize such creatures doing. The humor is much more subtle than in the films, no doubt reflecting Smith's British personality. There are episodes like the brief rest in a country church and the Dalmatians' revenge against Cruella that would have made great theater. I still enjoy the animated version, but I keep coming back to the book.

Delightful........

The book I read aloud to my 7 year old daughter is the 1956, 1957 Copyright with a yellow hardback cover with drawings of dogs on it. The illustrators are Janet and Anne Grahame-Johnstone.This book is fun and exciting and is more enjoyable than the Disney cartoon version. You will be surprised by the Dalmation Perdita in this book. She is not what you expect. Also, you will not find out where the "101th Dalmation" comes from until the last two chapters unless you are very, very perceptive. I kept coming up with 100 total Dalmations until the very end.This book is a must read for everyone; but, you will probably have to borrow it from your local library. This book needs to be rereleased.