But I don’t feel exactly bad neither.” Why? Because “I’m at the point where I’ll do most anything for Shiloh. He says, “I don’t feel good about the lies I tell Dara Lynn or David or his ma. Marty does a lot of lying while trying to keep Shiloh hidden, and while it bothers his conscience he never reaches the conclusion that it is wrong but rather comes to view it as necessary to accomplish his aim of saving Shiloh. However, the worst problem for me is the underlying message of the book. There are also references to Judd Travers’s use of tobacco and drinking beer. While I do not approve of this kind of language used in any book, it is to me absolutely unconscionable to use it in children’s literature, even if it is true that there are people who talk that way.

Shiloh is described as being so frightened that he was “scared to pee.” The word “h” word is used once, the “d” word is found twice, and there are a couple of interjectory phrases with “Jesus” in them.

The language of this book leaves a little to be desired. After being taken back to Judd, the dog runs away again, and Marty tries to hide him, but after the dog is attacked and injured by another dog, the whole story comes out. However, he finds out that the dog belongs to his neighbor Judd Travers, who is known to mistreat his dogs. It just goes to show how much the typical view of “good” children’s literature has changed in sixty years! The book is about a West Virginia boy named Marty who finds a dog which he names Shiloh. My wife Karen bought this book and its two sequels, Shiloh Season and Saving Shiloh, as a set from Scholastic. Shiloh (published in 2000 by Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing republished by Scholastic Inc.). Language level: 3 (some cursing and profanity)įor more information e-mail Phyllis Reynolds. Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing, 2000

Shiloh by phyllis reynolds naylor