Tango: The Tale of an Island Dog Book

The adorable story of a little dog lost. . .and found.

Tango is used to the good life. He has a silver charm for his collar and a luxurious doggy bed. Then disaster strikes when Tango's owners sail into stormy waters off the coats of Nova Scotia, and the little yorkie washes up on an island far from home. Tango is determined to find his way back to his owners in New York City. But Tango will discover that sometimes it takes getting lost to find the things in life that matter most.


From the Compact Disc edition.

Children's Literature

Tango, a Yorkshire terrier, is accustomed to the good life in Manhattan where his mistress Marcellina dotes on him. A silver heart charm dangles from his collar, and he even has a tiny tuxedo sewn for him to wear at a party. When Marcellina buys a sailboat for her husband, they bring Tango along on a sea voyage heading north, but when they reach the Gulf of St. Lawrence Tango is swept overboard by a wave. He washes up on the shore of Prince Edward Island in the little village of Victoria-by-the-Sea, looking like a drowned rat and barely alive. A fisherman's widow named Augusta takes him in and nurses him back to health, but Tango pines for Marcellina and the life he knew. He meets a runaway orphan girl named McKenna, an elderly fox, and a three-legged cat, and the lives of all these lonely but determined characters intersect as Tango tries to retrieve his silver heart charm with his name and address on it so that he can be reunited with Marcellina. Events come to a head in a terrible storm, followed by the predictable happy ending in which everyone finds a place to call home. Still, the Canadian seaside setting holds interest and the characters are particularly well drawn. Fans of animal stories will appreciate the plucky terrier, the noble fox, and the various dastardly creatures, too, such as a gang of feral cats and a huge deformed rat. The human characters are equally well developed in this first novel for young readers by Beha, who drew on personal experience of the setting and of Yorkies to create this satisfying story. Reviewer: Paula Rohrlick