Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library. I am happy to announce that our fall catalog is out now and ready to be perused. Our catalog will have all of our library events laid out from September through November. We have some really fun stuff coming up, like Banned Book Button Making, All Hallows’ Read, Trivia Nights, and much more. Grab a catalog and start marking your calendar now!
We don’t have any special events happening at the library this week. Fortunately for me, though, that means it’s book recommendation time. August happens to be National Dog Month, which is fitting because I just recently adopted a new pup of my own. She’s a basset mix and, yes, she’s the cutest. In light of this, and with International Dog Day coming up on Aug. 26, let’s talk about some great dogs and books about them.
First, I’d like to talk about a very special dog named Hachiko (or Hachi for short), a famous dog you may have heard of already. The Akitainu in question actually has a statue in his honor in Shibuya, Japan. The story of Hachiko is the story of the amazing capacity of a dog’s love and loyalty. We have two books and a film in our collection about Hachiko and his amazing life that you can check out, which include “Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog,” written by Pamela S. Turner and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene; “Hachiko Waits,” written by Lesléa Newman and illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira; and the movie “Hachi: A Dog’s Tale.” All three tell of the life of the legendary Hachiko, who became a national symbol for loyalty and devotion. Hidesaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University, adopted Hachi in 1923. Ueno took the train to work every day from Shibuya station, where each day Hachi would wait for his master and walk home with him. They did this until the professor’s untimely death in 1925, caused by a cerebral hemorrhage while at work. That day, Hachi came to the station like always and awaited his master, a master who, unfortunately, would never exit the train again. Hachi, in a display of immense loyalty to his master, awaited Ueno’s return. He appeared precisely when the train was due at the station, never wavering for 10 long years, until his passing in 1935. Despite several attempts by people at the station, Hachi refused to leave his post and eventually became an institution of the station, being cared for by the whole community. It is truly a remarkable story about an amazing dog.
The next dog is one who never got the recognition he quite deserved in life, but hopefully we can give him some now, for he and his master did something truly remarkable. You’ve probably heard of Balto, the amazing hero dog that saved the children of Nome, Alaska, but have you ever heard of Togo? Togo led his team over 261 miles in the longest and most dangerous leg of the Great Race of Mercy to deliver diphtheria antitoxin. No hate to Balto, but he ran 55 miles with his team on the much easier final stretch. Seppala, Togo’s master and the man who also risked his life alongside his dogs, had this to say about Togo many years later, “I never had a better dog than Togo. His stamina, loyalty, and intelligence could not be improved upon. Togo was the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail.”
You can read more about Togo and his amazing accomplishments in books like Togo by Robert J. Blake and Togo by Kate Klimo. You can also check out the movie, “The Great Alaskan Race: The Amazing True Story of Togo and Balto” here at the Great Bend Public Library. Hopefully some day when we think about the dogs and people who saved the children of Nome, Alaska, from a deadly epidemic, Togo and Seppala will be the first names that come to mind.
Hannah Grippin is outreach manager at the Great Bend Public Library. To see what else we’re up to, visit our Facebook page and our website,greatbendpl.info. You can also message us on Facebook, email us at gbcirc@gmail.com, or give us a call at 620-792-2409 for any questions about our programming or services.
