Lovable Hound Helps City Family Become Farmers

George, the Hero Hound

Written and Illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler

Two Lions, an Imprint of Amazon Publishing, New York, 2018

“George the Hero Hound” is a fun story for children who love dogs and are curious about farm life. The lively illustrations are especially entertaining.

The story is simple. The Gladstones come from the city and buy a farm that comes with George, a hound dog. Throughout the story, folks in the Gladstone family have problems and George helps them.

There are a couple running gags. One is about the cows who are always plotting to escape into the cornfields for a feast. The other is about everyone in the family always suggesting new names for George: Rusty, Dusty, Rover, and Red.

 The dad has trouble getting the old, rusty tractor started. George helps by finding the right missing piece.

Then the tractor runs off and busts through the fence, allowing the cows to escape and head for the cornfield. George corals the cows back into their pen.

Owen, the boy in the family, tells George he has lost his baby sister Olive. George smells her ribbon, and leads Owen on a hunt, searching high and low. They finally finds her having a picnic with a rooster on the other side of the farm.

George is a hero. He has found his place in the family, herding Olive, helping mom and dad with farming, and keeping the crafty cows in line.

Now if only everyone could remember his name. 

About the Author and Illustrator

Jeffrey Ebbeler’s parents always wanted to live on a farm. One day, they moved their family from the city suburbs to the country. Jeff’s dad and uncles built their house and a barn. Just like the Gladstones in “George the Hero Hound,” they raised all kinds of animals and owned a rusty old tractor that hardly ever worked. Occasionally, their neighbor’s cows would break through the fence and feast on their cornfield. When Jeff’s sister got a pony, everyone in the family wanted to give him a name, so they ended up calling him Rusty Dusty Rover Red George. (In this story, Jeff made George a dog, so George could help a bunch of city folk, like Jeff’s family, learn to be farmers.)

Jeff has illustrated and written several picture books, including Arlo Rolled by Susan Pearson. He lives in Cincinnati with his wife and twin daughters. Learn more about him online at www.JeffIllustration.com.