Module 4: "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Book Cover Image:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/207153.Shiloh

Book Summary:

Eleven-year-old Marty Preston stumbles across a loveable but starving beagle pup in the woods behind his home and takes him in.  They become immediate friends, and Marty names his new pet “Shiloh.”  Marty soon discovers that Shiloh belongs to an abusive alcoholic named Judd Travers who has a reputation for abusing dogs, and he also carries a gun wherever he goes.  Judd wants the dog back, not because he has any affection for Shiloh, but because Marty has become so attached to him.  The dog of course prefers to be with Marty, which angers Judd even more.  When Shiloh runs away, Marty hides and protects him from Judd, but endangers his family in the process.  It is up to Marty to think of a creative way to trick Judd into letting him keep Shiloh as his own.

APA Reference:  

Naylor, P.R. (1991). Shiloh.  New York N.Y.  Atheneum.

My Impressions:

This book is really a story of love and devotion between a boy and his dog. It also shows the lengths someone will go to protect someone or something they dearly love.  Animal abuse and cruelty are difficult issues to deal with at any age, but more so for a child.  However, any dog lover could relate to the situation and would try to step in and help.

Professional Review:

When Marty, age eleven, befriends an abused dog, Shiloh, and his father demands that he return Shiloh to his owner, Marty must choose between deceit and truth. He does return Shiloh once, but when Shiloh returns, half-starved and obviously mistreated, Marty cannot betray the dog's faith in him as savior. He hides Shiloh in the woods until his perfidity is discovered and Marty must face the wrath of his parents and of Shiloh's owner, Judd. This brief, simply told novel is better than most animal stories. The characters are well drawn and even Judd, Shiloh's cruel owner, has some reasons for his behavior.

The book is easily and quickly read but there are no simplistic answers in it. The great respect of the mountain people for each other's privacy and personal rights is at the heart of the book. Martin Preston's family's strict code of honor is the sticking point. The book provides ample opportunity for discussion of such questions as: would money have made a difference here? And then there are the larger questions brought into focus by the author: what is truth? Marty makes two statements that are questions for debate: "A lie don't seem a lie anymore when it's meant to save a dog" and "What kind of law is it... that lets a man mistreat his dog?" Is it necessary to be untruthful in order to gain some greater truth or good? In other words, do the ends ever justify the means?

[Review of the book Shiloh by P.R.Naylor].  (1996, September). Teaching K-8 magazine,
 34(5). 216. Retrieved from http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/shiloh.html.

Library Uses:

This would not be a book for real young children, but those who are mature enough to deal with the potential abuse of an animal and feel like they could help in some way.  The book could be used in a book talk to an elementary school on pets, or abuse, or courage in the face of conflict.   You could also place this book with others on dogs or pets in general for a display in the juvenile area.