In the end, a sign is fixed to the fence saying, 'No desserts ever unless puppies never dig holes under this fence again!' Poky arrives home to find that the hole has been filled in (he had to squeeze through a gap in the fence) and that the strawberry shortcake was all gone. Their mother, pleased at seeing this, gives them the strawberry shortcake. One of them, the titular Poky Little Puppy, avoids this punishment twice by being away exploring, and by eating all the dessert (first rice pudding, then chocolate custard) while everyone else is asleep.įinally, after a third instance of digging under the fence and losing out on dessert (this time, strawberry shortcake), the four puppies (Poky being away exploring as usual) wait until they think their mother is asleep before filling in the hole.
The puppies' mother punishes them for this by not giving them dessert with their dinner. The story follows a family of five puppy siblings who dig holes under a fence to escape their backyard and explore the world in front of them. It was written by Janette Sebring Lowrey (1892-1986), and illustrated by Gustaf Tenggren (1896-1970). The Poky Little Puppy is the fifth in a long-running series of children's books known as Little Golden Books.
