When Nello was two years old, his mother died in the Ardennes, a vast region of hills and forests that extends across four countries across Europe, especially Belgium. After his mother's tragic and untimely death, Nello had no one who could (or was willing to) take care of him, so his impoverished grandfather, named Jehan Daas, takes him in and agrees to take care of him for the rest of life.
On one seemingly banal day, Nello and his grandfather to take a walk through their town. On their walk, the come across a dog who was nearly beaten to death. They name the dog "Patrasche," and Jehan, who is an incredibly kind and hospitable man, tends to the dog's health. In turn, Patrasche's health rebounds very quickly and he goes back to himself. And just as quicky, Patrasche and Nello become seemingly inseparable, spending what seems like every waking moment together.
When Jehan's nasty and nefarious landlord demands that he pay more money in rent or face eviction, Nello ventures out to become a milk salesman. In doing so, he hopes that he can earn enough money so that he and his grandfather can stay in the home they have stayed at for so long. Patrasche, because he is a working dog, helps Nello run his business and helps him transport his cart filled with milk each day.
While running his business, Nello falls in love with a girl named Aloise, who is the daughter of a well-off man who lives in Nello's village. That man is named Baas. And he wants what is best for his daughter. Thus, he strongly objects to his daughter associating herself with a poor man like Nello. To impress Baas, Nello enters into a drawing contest. The grand prize winner of the contest earns 200 Francs. Although the judges are impressed with Nello's drawing (his is illiterate but able to draw well), the panel selects another winner.
Some time later, a fire breaks out on Baas' property and does serious damage to it, and someone tells him that Nello was the one responsible for setting the fire. Accordingly, Baas forbids Nello from ever seeing his daughter again (even though he was not the one that set the fire).
Jehan dies (presumably of old age) and Nello and Patrasche are promptly evicted by their landlord because they don't have enough money to pay the rent. They become homeless and wander the streets of their village, hoping for a safe place to be in. One night, they find a cathedral that is putting on a play. They have no money and are thus not let in, but they return to the cathedral the next night to find no one inside. They spend the night at the cathedral but are found the next morning dead from hypothermia.
A Dog of Flanders explores themes of friendship, family, companionship, and dealing with adversity despite having few resources. This is ultimately the story of a boy and his trusty dog who, despite facing things few people his age must face, overcomes adversity in most instances. First, they earn enough money to stay in their house after their crooked landlord asks for more money. Then, they work hard to overcome the negativity of Nello's love interests father. Finally, they try (but fail) to overcome their poverty and their homelessness. But they aren't able to overcome this adversity and die. Still, they have overcome things few others would have been able to in their lives. And even though A Dog of Flanders is a remarkably tonally dark and sad novel for children, it is a fundamentally hopeful novel: despite the circumstances that Nello and his dog find themselves in, they accomplish quite a bit and live their lives to their fullest.
With all of that said, authors write novels to earn a living and to keep readers entertained. A Dog of Flanders is no exception. It is a simultaneously meaningful and entertaining novel which has many complex themes and a mature and nuanced story.
