100 Scope Notes Burning Question of the Day (#3)
I have questions, you have the answers. Let’s solve some of children’s literature most vexing questions with the 100 Scope Notes Burning Question of the Day.
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At the end of Bark, George by Jules Feiffer, George *SPOILER ALERT* says “hello” instead of barking, indicating that he ate a human. But was that human the vet who cured him earlier in the book? Search your feelings, and please select an answer below.
Previously . . .
Burning Question of the Day #1: My Feelings About The Giving Tree Are . . .
Burning Question of the Day #2: Seuss or Sendak – Who’s Best?
Filed under: Question of the Day
About Travis Jonker
Travis Jonker is an elementary school librarian in Michigan. He writes reviews (and the occasional article or two) for School Library Journal and is a member of the 2014 Caldecott committee. You can email Travis at scopenotes@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter: @100scopenotes.
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I’ve never read it any other way.
I say yes. George’s mother most likely celebrated after George finally barked again, giving George the opportunity to eat the vet without her noticing. If you look at the crowd scene in the last few pages, no one seems to be traveling alone. There’s lots of groups and pairs of people. No one seems to be freaking out that they’re missing a group member. IMHO, eating the vet is the only plausible explanation for George’s final, “hello.”
I have read this dozens of times and I have never even considered that it was the vet that he ate. Mind. Blown.
I read this to a group yesterday and that’s exactly what a boy shouted at the end! “He ate the vet!”
You need a “well now that you mention it…” option!
The kids I read this to yesterday were convinced it was a little kid, but that’s probably just their own biases working.