First of all, Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss! Hooray! PBS is having a marathon today of Cat In The Hat episodes. Check your local listings for times and channels. Also, be sure to pop on over to Seussville to enjoy fun and games. It’s also Read Across America Day! Go here for downloadables on how you can participate in this fun event.
© USPS
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Now back to today’s other important business!
This week’s Perfect Picture Book Friday selection is a family favorite: Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman
Title: Go, Dog. Go! Author/Illustrator: P.D. Eastman Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers (June 12, 1966)
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Beginning reading, humor, animals, colors, counting, concepts
Synopsis: With the use of just 75 words, this book for beginning readers is a delightful story with dogs, dogs and more dogs!
Amazon writes: Life lessons? Romance? Literary instruction? Go, Dog. Go! offers all this and more, wrapped up in one simply worded, warmly hued package… Not only will this book inspire peals of laughter in kids, it will also help them make the magical connection between those mysterious black squiggles on the page, and the words they hear and speak.
The canine cartoons make an elementary text funny and coherent and still one of the best around.— School Library Journal.
Beginner Books was co-founded by Phyllis Cerf with Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), and Helen Palmer Geisel (wife to Dr. Seuss). The first in this line, was Cat in the Hat which was published in 1958.
Activities:
Here is a pdf of a flyer with all sorts of fun ideas for Go, Dog. Go!
And here is another pdf from Child’s Play.
Why I like this book: Besides being a family favorite, I love the humor of this book: “Do you like my hat?” ” I do not.” “Good bye.” “Good bye.”
The drawings are Suessical…is that a word? 🙂 But you know what I mean. The words are simple and catchy. Perfect for the beginning reader. I love P.D.’s other books also, such as Are You My Mother?. You can tell he was a A protégé of Dr. Seuss. His books have that same whimsical look to them and fun writing. You can also tell that he used to work for Disney. His characters have a look to them that reminds me of the vintage animated Disney characters. This book is also available in a small board book which is perfect for tiny hands. It is a shortened down version of the original.
And for your viewing pleasure, here is a video I found on Youtube. It is adorable:
3yr old Billy ‘reads’ Go, Dog. Go!
Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.
Erik -This Kid Reviews Books 02/03/2012
I LOVE “GO DOG GO”!! Great choice! The video is cute 🙂 It’s cool how Dr. Seuss can come up with a whole story with just a couple of words!
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Erik, Dr. Seuss was amazing! I love every one of the books of his I have read. They are classic! Thanks for the comment. I am glad you enjoyed the vid 🙂
Joanna Marple 02/03/2012
LOVE this video, and I see how they packed so much into so few words! Classic! How come I haven’t read this?
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Joanna, I hadn’t heard of it either, until we received it in a package of Weekly Reader books. It’s AWESOME!
Susanna Leonard Hill 02/03/2012
I LOVE Go Dog Go – one of my all-time favorites! How often have I uttered the phrase, “Go around again!” 🙂 Thanks for adding this one to our list! I also love P.D. Eastman – my favorite being Flap Your Wings which I will probably have to share soon on PPBF 🙂
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Haha! Yes, we had a lot of fun with it. Even changing the voices on some dogs. I don’t think I’ve read Flap Your Wings! Going on the list. Thanks for the comment 🙂
Penny Klostermann 02/03/2012
I have to read this again!! It’s been too long. I am loving all the Seuss books on this week’s PPBF list. It makes me feel young again :•)
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Penny, I agree! Dr. Seuss books take us right back to our childhood don’t they? So much fun!
Julie Hedlund 02/03/2012
Love, LOVE this book. I’m lucky because my son is just at the age where he can read this book on his own, so we’ve been practicing with it a lot. The hat thing kills us every time. 😉
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Hi Julie, yeah the hat exchange is a fun one. And the dog party is always a page that time is spent on. So many dogs doing so many things! Fun, fun, fun!
Beth Stilborn 02/03/2012
And another book I’d never heard of! Where have I been all my life? Under a rock?
This sounds like great fun, and I love that it helps young readers — gotta love that!
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Haha! I feel like that many times when looking at the PPBF’s list! So many good books, not enough time! Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia Tilton 02/03/2012
Another book I haven’t read. Loved the video. I heard on TV today that 28 publishers turned down Dr. Seuss, as they didn’t think kids would like his style. Great choice today.
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Hi Patricia, wow. 28 times? I bet they are kicking themselves. Just like the pubs who turned down JK Rowling. That just shows that we have to keep plugging at it!
Kirsten Larson 02/03/2012
Oh how I love P.D. Eastman. We are going to see the play, “Are You My Mother?” at the end of the month. I can’t wait!
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Oh wow! I didn’t know there was a play. How fun! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
patientdreamer 02/03/2012
When I saw the title “Go Dog Go” I thought it was one of those Janet and John books I was taught to read with all those years ago…. but this is so much cutier… and funny. Love the trailer. How things have changed over the years…lol. Thankyou Loni.
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Haha! I think I know what you are talking about. When I was little it was the Dick and Jane books. “Look Jane look.” “Down spot down!” etc. 😀
Laura Renauld 02/03/2012
A childhood fave and now my boys enjoy it, too. I love books that withstand the test of time.
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Me too Laura! Thanks for the comment!
Tracy 02/03/2012
This was one of my kids favorites when they were younger. I LOVED the dogs on skates! I had the pleasure of reading Are You My Mother? to my son’s 2nd grade class in honor of Read Across America day. What a great thing to celebrate!
A2ZMommy and What’s In Between
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Oh that is so cool Tracy! 😀 Thanks!
Stacy S. Jensen 02/03/2012
We have this one and my son can sit through this one. Many of the other Dr. Seuss titles are too wordy for our toddler. Thanks for sharing this one.
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
Yes, this one is perfect for a toddler. The board book was perfect!
Amy Dixon 02/03/2012
I love this one! And geez, 75 words? Anyone who can do that is a superstar in my book!
Loni Edwards 02/03/2012
I know, right? It’s amazing. I have trouble just getting below 300!
Heather 03/03/2012
We have always wondered why that dog so desperately needed approval of her hat! Great choice.
Loni 03/03/2012 — Post Author
🙂 Thanks Heather!
Vivian Kirkfield 04/03/2012
Great review and resources, Loni!
This was an old favorite in our home…when kids are just starting to read, they love having books that cater to that with smaller vocabularies…it’s very empowering for them to open a book and read it themselves. 🙂
Loni Edwards 05/03/2012
Yes, Vivian! You are so right 🙂
Catherine Johnson 04/03/2012
That video is so cute. It is similar to Dr. Seuss in style isn’t it? I am pretty sure I’ve read a P.D. book before, but I can’t remember the name of it. Thanks!
Loni Edwards 05/03/2012
Isn’t it adorable? I loved it. Yes, it isn’t the rhyming like Seuss, but it is the same simplicity. That makes it great for beginning readers. Plus, it’s fun!