Unknown
By Colin Thompson
Walker and Co., $15.95
ISBN 0802787304

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Sometimes, the most wonderful gifts arrive in the most unexpected packages. The fact that I have written this without thumbs will attest to that.

Such is the case with Unknown, a small, timid dog who once occupied the very last cage at the local shelter. You probably know the other dogs: Stray, Owner Died, Unwanted Christmas Gift, Keeps Running Off, and -- last and loudest -- Grown Too Large. The problem is, lots of people ignore them. Anytime a human visits the shelter, everybody scrambles for attention, hoping to feel what it's like outside of the cage. Unknown, however, was just too frightened to approach anyone, human or doggy.

There's one odd thing about her, though: she likes rain. Now I don't like rain myself, but there are some dogs that are all fraidy-cat about it (and calling a dog a fraidy-cat is as low as it gets, believe me). Unknown actually likes rain, and this unique trait enabled her to do something really brave that saved her sheltermates during a dangerous storm. This courageous act gave Unknown the attention she had deserved all along, but she didn't let it go to her head; instead, she used her fame to help others just like her.

Sometimes, humans are this way; they think that they don't matter, or someone has convinced them that their oddities can't be used in a special way. The story about Unknown reminds us that many times, it's the overlooked humans (and doggies) who are truly the ones worth getting to know.

Anna Pignataro's watercolor pictures remind me of rain and movement; I immediately recognized a lot of my old sheltermates, and if you've visited your local shelter lately, I'm sure you will, too. In fact, once you read Unknown's story, you'll probably want to make another visit. If you do, I can't guarantee you'll walk away empty-handed.

While I'm not quite as timid as Unknown, I understand how she feels. Before I found my real Mommy, my name was Adopted Twice Already. I think "Abbey" is far more fetching.

Abbey the Dog has close ties with the associate editor of BookPage.