“The Adventures of Taxi Dog,” a rhyming children’s picture book, has been featured on “Reading Rainbow” on PBS. That from the start tells me that we’re about to read a high quality book.
The story is told from the perspective of Maxi, the dog. He used to be a stray on the streets of New York City. He lived primarily in the park, but had to be careful to avoid the dogcatcher. He ate whatever he could find, and life was pretty hit-and-miss for him.
One day a taxi pulled over to the curb with a flat tire. When the driver got out to change the tire, he noticed Maxi and came over to talk to him. He could see that the dog was dirty and skinny, and he asked if he’d like to come live with him. He introduced himself as Jim.
The dog went home with Jim and had more to eat than he’d ever had in his life. Jim tied a bright red scarf around his neck and told him how glad he was he’d found him. The dog was pretty pleased about it, too – he wouldn’t have to scavenge any more.
Jim gave him the name of Maxi, and from that day forth, Maxi rode next to Jim in the taxi cab. Maxi loved to stick his head out the window and feel the wind rush past, and he made a lot of friends in the people that rode in the back.
One night, they helped a man take his wife to the hospital so she could have a baby, and another time they drove an opera singer to her big show. Maxi had fun singing right along with her! And, while picking up fares at the airport, they got to transport a whole group of clowns to the circus.
At the end of each shift, they return the taxi to the garage and head home. Maxi couldn’t be happier. He loves Jim and he knows he’ll always take care of him.
(This book was published in 1990 by Dial Books and was illustrated by Mark Buehner.)
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