Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

books:


	• Owney, the Mail-Pouch Pooch Mona Kerby Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2008 - 40 pages average customer review:based on 1 review view larger image
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Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children

By chance one rainy night back in 1888, a starving stray dog found his way into the Albany, NY post office through an open door in the back. Although somewhat perplexed to discover a sleeping dog on top of the mail pouches the following morning, the postal workers let the dog stay, cared for him, and named him Owney. Owney really liked the various smells and activities of the post office, and he became the workers' faithful mail guard, rat catcher, and companion. Not content to just rest on his mailbags, Owney also had an unusual habit of chasing after trains and leaping into the mail cars. He traveled all over the country, and thanks to a clever system with dog tags and a growing national reputation, he always returned to Albany.

This appealing and informative story, based on historical records, offers teachers and parents an excellent vehicle for teaching about a subject that children may otherwise find abstract or uninteresting: the economic role of government. The book may even inspire children to take a field trip to the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, which houses Owney's preserved body and displays a bronze statue of Owney at the front door with a sign to rub Owney for good luck. Motivating children to learn about public sector workers and services doesn't get much better than this.

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One rainy night in 1888, a stray dog wandered into the U.S. Post Office in Albany, New York. Workers found him the next morning asleep on a pile of mail pouches. The dog seemed to like the post office and the smell of the mailbags and the men?s wool uniforms. When no one came to claim him, they named him Owney and made him their pet. However, Owney?s loyalty and sense of adventure soon made it clear he wasn?t just an average mutt. Over the course of nine years, Owney guarded the mail?not only in Albany but on mail trains that traveled all over the United States.

Accompanied by lively pen-and-watercolor illustrations, this is a delightful true story of a special dog whose faithful service earned him a trip around the world. Owney can be seen in the Smithsonian?s National Postal Museum.

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