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Hachiko Waits: Based on a True Story Spiral-Bound | December 23, 2008

Lesléa Newman, Machiyo Kodaira (Illustrated by)

★★★★☆+ from 1,001 to 10,000 ratings

$15.77 - Free Shipping

The loyalty and devotion of a dog has no bounds.

"What a good dog you are. What a fine dog you are. Hachi, you are the best dog in all of Japan."

Professor Ueno speaks these words to his faithful dog before boarding the train to work every morning. And every afternoon, just before three o'clock, Hachi is at the train station to greet his beloved master. One day, the train arrives at the station without the professor. Hachi waits.

For ten years, Hachi waits for his master to return. Not even Yasuo, the young boy who takes care of Hachi, can persuade him to leave his post.

Hachiko Waits, a novel inspired by a true story, brings to life the legendary Akita who became a national symbol for loyalty and devotion. This is a must-read for dog lovers of all ages.


Hachiko Waits is a 2005 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Publisher: Macmillan
Original Binding: Trade Paperback
Pages: 96 pages
ISBN-10: 0312558066
Item Weight: 0.2 lbs
Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.3 x 7.6 inches
Customer Reviews: 4 out of 5 stars 1,001 to 10,000 ratings
Hachiko embodies all the best qualities of a dog. He is loyal, brave, gentle, and childlike. Based on a true story from Japan, this is a beautiful tribute to a historic dog.

Lesléa Newman is a poet, an animal lover, and the author of Runaway Dreidel!, Cats, Cats, Cats!, Daddy's Song, and other picture books. Her awards include the Parents' Choice Silver Medal and a Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. She has a B.S. in education from the University of Vermont and a Certificate of Poetics from Naropa Institute, where she was Allen Ginsburg's apprentice. She has worked as a preschool teacher, secretary, waitress, freelance reporter, and sales clerk, and now teaches writing for children and young adults at Spalding University. She lives in western Massachusetts.


Machiyo Kodaira is a native of Tokyo, Japan, and a graduate of Parsons School of Design. Hachi's story was Ms. Kodaira's first book for young readers.