Dr. Dog [Paperback]

Babette Cole (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Dr. dog is not your usual doctor. For one thing, he makes house calls. For another, he's a pet beagle! When his entire family falls sick, only Dr. Dog can save the day, with cure for head lice, pinworms, and (yikes!) even a case of too much gas...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cole (Mommy Laid an Egg) uses a medical pretext to indulge fans of scatological jokes in this off-color, disjointed tale. Things begin innocently enough: the Gumboyle family's dog is not only their pet but their doctor. Dr. Dog discourages one Gumboyle from smoking by showing a diagram of tar-filled lungs, and he performs a tonsillectomy on another. But the prognosis for good reading takes a turn for the worse with a drawn-out description of Baby Gumboyle's worm problem, which prompts some catchy advice from Dr. Dog: "Never scratch your bum and suck your thumb!" Equally disconcerting are the pages on beer-and-baked-beans aficionado Grandpa, diagnosed as having that "terrible wind" that must "blast out of your bottom." Though such passages may leave modest readers aghast (har har), they are likely to inspire hilarity in the toilet-humor crowd, particularly when Grandpa's "wind" blows the roof off the Gumboyle home. Few others will embrace this indelicate story, but admirers of Everybody Poops are in luck. Ages 4-6.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-The Gumboyles' pet beagle, Dr. Dog, teaches his family that smoking hurts their lungs, that germs can attack tonsils, and that nits live in hair. He then proceeds to explain that Baby Gumboyle caught worms by not washing his hands after using the toilet. He issues the admonition, "Never scratch your bum and suck your thumb!") The coup de grace, however, is Granddad's gastrointestinal problem from eating too many baked beans and drinking too much beer; "...he farted so hard he blew the roof right off the house!" Children will no doubt learn a few hygiene lessons here, and find this story funny. Despite the silliness of the presentation, the information is basically accurate and important. The illustrations are typical Cole-full of humorous detail, including cartoon drawings of the "tubes" inside the human body. On-target health lessons delivered with a decidedly different slant.
Christine A. Moesch, Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, NY
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Paperback: 40 pages
• Publisher: Dragonfly Books (March 11, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067988548X
• ISBN-13: 978-0679885481
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.2 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Fiction
  • #13 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Health > Personal Hygiene
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs > Fiction

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpless laughter, June 29, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dr. Dog (Paperback)

I recently read Dr Dog to my 6 year old in a book shop. We were so helpless with laughter that another customer came up and said," Whatever it is, I have to buy it!" In the end we each bought two copies. I sent one to my father for Fathers Day. It is the most hilarious book children could possibly read about personal hygiene and bad habits. If you are at all stuffy, forget it and find something else. For children and parents alike it is very funny and very rude. My kids love it and I am just about to order a new copy from Amazon as requested by my mother-in-law.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pediatric office staff howled with delight at Dr. Dog, June 23, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Lewiston, New York (near Niagara Falls) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dr. Dog (Paperback)

I recently became acquainted with Dr.Dog, the drawing caught my eye because he looked like one of my dogs. My husband, who is a pediatrician, loved the book. We recently read it to our office staff at the end of our annual mandatory OSHA meeting. There was plenty of useful health advice in Dr.Dog, and the staff appreciated something so funny (and gross) not unlike many of our patients. Our office manager planned to get a copy to read (to the adults) at her two year olds birthday party! What a fun book!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Dog, January 31, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dr. Dog (Paperback)

I bought this book for my daughter when she was 3 beacause she wouldn't wash her hands very often, especially after going to the bathroom. She is now 5 and we still remember that you can get bad germs (and even worms) if you don't wash up. We love this book and read it often. It is hilarious and a great way to introduce children to the basics of hygiene. I highly recommend it.