Angus is a little black Scottish terrier who is tired of the same old yard and the same old house and especially the same old fence keeping him from seeing the great wide world that he is so curious to explore. Like Curious George, Angus’s curiosity is his downfall. He goes out the gate when it is left open one day, and he gets lost in that big world. He meets another bigger dog, and a stranger, and cars, and even a bird with huge dark eyes, but finally he follows a familiar face home again to the same yard and the same house where he is safe again.

Psychologically comforting, this story is also just cute and satisfying. The illustrations alternate between black and white drawings, and the same kind of drawings with a bit of color added. Angus has a big adventure, for a little black dog, and he gets home safe and sound.

Ms. Flack wrote and illustrated two more books about Angus, Angus and the Cat and Angus and the Ducks. All three are worth acquiring for you and your preschooler to read over and over again. These are simple enough to read to a two or three year old, but should also hold the interest of four and five year olds. You may, however, have to explain some things, like the milkman and the funny old-fashioned cars, since this book was written back in the 1930’s. It holds up remarkably well.

Marjorie Flack also wrote The Story About Ping and Ask Mr. Bear, as well as many other picture books for children. Her book, Boats on the River, won a Caldecott Honor award for its illustrator, Jay Hyde Barnum.

Weston Woods has a video based on Angus Lost, and here is a study guide (pdf) with teaching activities that could be used with either the book or the movie.

Picture Book Preschool is a preschool/kindergarten curriculum which consists of a list of picture books to read aloud for each week of the year and a character trait, a memory verse, and activities, all tied to the theme for the week. You can purchase a downloadable version (pdf file) of Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early at Biblioguides.