Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry is a white dog with black spots who buries the family's scrub brush and escapes to play freely through the city — only to return so dirty that his own family no longer recognizes him. The moment he unearths the brush and gets his bath, identity and belonging snap back into place. It sounds simple because it is, and Gene Zion understood exactly what he was doing. In continuous print since 1956 and still in use in schools and libraries today, this is a picture book that earns its classic status — the adventure is fun, the identity theme lands perfectly for young children, and Margaret Bloy Graham's illustrations still charm. The 2002 color reprint helps. Not much complexity here for older readers, but that's by design. For the three-to-seven crowd, it remains a genuine joy.