He Was There From the Day We Moved In

by Rhoda Levine, Edward Gorey (Illustrator)

The naming of dogs can be a tricky business, as Ogdon and his big brother discover in this charming collaboration between Rhoda Levine and Edward Gorey. You see, before Ogdon and his family moved to a new house, no one mentioned the big shaggy sheep dog in the back yard, but there he was, just sitting and waiting, imperturbable as can be. Waiting for what? Ogdon wonders. Dinner? A lollipop? A stray cat? Someone to talk to? No, what the dog wants is a name. And not just any name, but the right name. And with a little patience, and a lot of persistence, Ogdon and his brother will figure it out.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Storywraps · Rating 5 out of 5]

A family moves into their new home and when they peer out through their window towards the garden they see a big, black and white, shaggy sheepdog just sitting there staring off into space like he is waiting for something. But what? He never budges.

The family is now on a quest to find out what that dog wants as he doesn't seem to be moving along any time soon. They offer him food, shelter from the rain and cold, playful entertainment, but he is obilvious to their efforts to win him over.

Ogdon, the little four year old, offers him a piece of string, a stray cat, hours of his time chatting to him, a box of crayons, a calendar, and even a coveted green lollypop... but the dog remains unresponsive to his goodwill gestures. What in the world could this dog desire?

Then his big brother has a Eureka moment!!! The dog is waiting for his name! That's it! Big brother compiles a huge long list of names that might be just what the dog is waiting for. Excited, little Ogdon races off into the garden to suggest the perfect name to his canine friend:

"Ogden ran right up to him, stopped short and pointed at his nose. "Your name!-" Ogdon was breathless. "Your name, I know your name" It's -" He lifted up an ear and whispered into it. Then he stepped back."

The dog just blinked, blinked again, stood up, shook himself and walked to the end of garden. Ogdon just stood there looking sad, really sad. The name was rejected!

The boys keep on searching. Will they stumble upon the perfect one? Maybe you could suggest a name that the dog would like. Maybe you could helps the boys out. Think you could? Give it a try.

The dog didn't exit the yard completely so I think that is an indication that he is not leaving any time soon. The boys are still thinking, the dog is still waiting... they both are trying very hard and as their mother says, "that's about the best anyone can do..."

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

What would you do if you moved into a new house and found a dog you'd never seen before sitting in the garden? This family tries to find out what it wants, and eventually determines that the dog wants a name. Will they find one he likes? A very strange story, illustrated by Edward Gorey's bizarre and melancholy pictures.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a dog person. I have been my entire life--so far. I have never been lucky enough to move into a new place and to find an Old English Sheepdog sitting in the garden.

What does he want?

Charming illustrations by Edward Gorey.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual tale about a family who moves into a new house and notices a dog in the backyard that never seems to go away or move or do much of anything. The story's younger brother, Ogden, does everything to get the dog's attention, to love it, and to do what's best, and when he makes an awful mistake, the dog starts to go away. The elder brother, the narrator, talks the dog out of deserting the family. I love Edward Gorey and I knew I'd enjoy this book, even if it's written by someone else, because Gorey doesn't associate himself with anything fun or fully conceived. There's always an element of mystery and the stories always make you ponder their real/hidden meaning. My rating - 4/5

[Chris Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s always fascinating to sew Gorey’s work for other writers, because it’s like seeing an auteur from a fresh perspective. I can see why Levine’s writing appealed to him though, because there’s just enough eccentricity and peculiarity for Gorey to build on. I think I need to reread it a few times, because there’s clearly some kind of subtext going on that i can’t quite get to yet but even without fully realising what that is it’s beautifully written and illustrated. NYRB’s children’s range is in every way the equal to the rest of the books they republish

[Mary Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this odd little book in a bookshop in NYC. I bought it for the Edward Gorey illustrations. It’s all about a dog who is sitting in the yard when a family moves into a house. Despite their attempts to interact with them, he (she) doesn’t connect. It’s strangely appealing, even though I’m not sure quite what was happening.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story with no pat (no pun intended) ending.

[A. Hadessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hätte keine spezielle Erwartungen an das Buch und war mit der Entwicklung und dem Ende sehr positiv überrascht.
Ich mag gorey sehr

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is quite literally the most depressing ghost story masquerading as a boy-and-his-dog-story that i've ever read. 5 stars.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this story. it builds up and is interesting till....it ends abruptly. The children still enjoyed it.

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those brilliant little books that draws you in, because how can you resist a dog story illustrated by Edward Gorey? The premise turns out to be far wiser than expected. It's been reprinted as a classic and the entire plot given away in the synopsis for that edition. Luckily, my mother owns the original and we need not reveal what "he" wants. Because it is the solving of the mystery which leads to the moral that may surprise you. There are no easy answers but there is a loving family willing to try harder.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a lot of children's books, it's not really for children--or at least, it's not ONLY for children.

Age range: for those able to cope with ambiguous, unsatisfying endings, and up. So, for people who enjoy books that feature the involvement of Edward Gorey.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of Edward Gorey, this book illustrated by him, whilst not as dark as Gorey's own writing, is somewhat left of centre. lovely childrens book, for the thinking parent's child.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book with no resolution.