Dominic is not as well known as some of William Steig’s other works, like Shrek!, for instance, or even Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, but it’s one of those books that I find myself rereading over and over again through my life. It is a book for children, and it’s not a work for children with hidden jokes for the grown-ups like some Warner Brothers cartoons. It is for children. But it’s fairy tale simplicity and inevitable happy ending are off set with a introspective charm that a lot of simple stories lack.

Dominic is an anthropomorphic dog who puts a note on his door one day that he’s off to find adventure and see what the world holds in store for him. Almost immediately he meets an alligator witch at a fork in the road who lets him decide whether to follow the dull safe road or the road to danger and uncertainty. He chooses and soon meets a dying pig who bequeaths him a legacy and a mission and he’s off again.

This is a simple, quick read, and maybe something to share with the children in your life, but also maybe something to read for yourself for a quick recharge and a little inspiration for getting going down the road a bit less travelled.