Uploaded October 2012 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
HE WAS THERE FROM THE DAY WE MOVED IN
by RHODA LEVINE
It's always a joy to welcome an old friend back after an unwarranted absence.
The eminent choreographer, Rhoda Levine, collaborated with Edward Gorey to publish this splendid piece of nonsense as far back as 1968, and it's been out of print for years. But the indispensable New York Review continues to republish children's classics that have long since disappeared, of which this is a prime example.
As much for grown-ups as for its intended audience, He Was There From the Day We Moved In is a shaggy dog story about just that: a shaggy dog. When an unsuspecting family moves into their new house, they discover a large and woolly sheepdog sitting imperturbably on their front lawn. And there he stays. Benevolent, but baffling and quite unfazed by the two small boys suddenly encircling him, nothing will entice him away; and it is only by a process of elimination that the brothers belatedly realise the only thing he's missing is a name.
Accompanied by vintage Gorey illustrations, this delightful bit of fluff is destined for a new lease of life.
And high time, too. We couldn't be happier.
FOR MORE VIDEO BOOK REVIEWS PLEASE VISIT nicholashoare.com/video-reviews.php
HE WAS THERE FROM THE DAY WE MOVED IN
by RHODA LEVINE
It's always a joy to welcome an old friend back after an unwarranted absence.
The eminent choreographer, Rhoda Levine, collaborated with Edward Gorey to publish this splendid piece of nonsense as far back as 1968, and it's been out of print for years. But the indispensable New York Review continues to republish children's classics that have long since disappeared, of which this is a prime example.
As much for grown-ups as for its intended audience, He Was There From the Day We Moved In is a shaggy dog story about just that: a shaggy dog. When an unsuspecting family moves into their new house, they discover a large and woolly sheepdog sitting imperturbably on their front lawn. And there he stays. Benevolent, but baffling and quite unfazed by the two small boys suddenly encircling him, nothing will entice him away; and it is only by a process of elimination that the brothers belatedly realise the only thing he's missing is a name.
Accompanied by vintage Gorey illustrations, this delightful bit of fluff is destined for a new lease of life.
And high time, too. We couldn't be happier.
FOR MORE VIDEO BOOK REVIEWS PLEASE VISIT nicholashoare.com/video-reviews.php
