Go, Dog. Go! (Beginner Books) [Hardcover]

P.D. Eastman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 12, 1961 | Age Range: 3 - 7 years

Fans of P. D. Eastman—and dogs—will want to get their paws on this classic beginning reader. Using only 75 different words, it features red dogs, blue dogs, big dogs, little dogs—all kinds of wonderful P. D. Eastman dogs—riding bicycles, scooters, skiis, and roller skates and driving all sorts of vehicles on their way to a big dog party held on top of a tree! Written over 50 years ago and edited by Dr. Seuss himself, this funny, doggy book makes a great gift for birthdays and other human celebrations, and will prove to you and your child that reading has not gone to the dogs!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Life lessons? Romance? Literary instruction? Go, Dog. Go! offers all this and more, wrapped up in one simply worded, warmly hued package. Using single-syllable words in rhythmic repetition, and introducing colors and prepositions, this Seuss-styled classic has been an early favorite of children since 1961. For those looking for deeper meaning in a beginning reader book, here you'll find nothing less than a microcosm of life. Green dogs, yellow dogs, big dogs, little dogs. Dogs who prefer cars, dogs who favor skis. All represent the diversity a child will find in the world. And the slow-to-bud romance between the cheerfully oblivious yellow dog and the mincing pink poodle explains more succinctly than most self-help books what goes on in many grown-up relationships. Nonetheless, Eastman takes the concept of "primary" to heart, with his simple silly phrases and solidly colored illustrations. 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. (Ages 4 to 8)

Review

"The canine cartoons make an elementary text funny and coherent and still one of the best around."--School Library Journal.  

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 3 - 7 years
  
• Hardcover: 72 pages
• Publisher: Random House/Beginner Books; 1st edition (March 12, 1961)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394800206
• ISBN-13: 978-0394800202
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 0.4 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (196 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #16,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Dogs
  • #84 in Books > Children's Books > Transportation

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A children's masterpiece as simple and complex as a haiku April 10, 2000

By hyperbolium

Format:Hardcover

I was well into my 30s before I realized that this was not a Dr. Seuss book. Given that it's issued in the same size and binding, I'd always assumed it was written by Seuss. My realization that it was written and illustrated by P.D. Eastman cleared one of my largest childhood confusions: I *loved* "Go Dog Do," and merely *liked* "The Cat in the Hat." Years later I realize that Eastman's art is funny, while Seuss's is fantastic, and I prefer the former to the latter. As another reviewer mentioned, you can stare at these dogs for a long time -- there's incredible depth to the expressions and postures of these seemingly simple illustrations. The insomniac dog who sleeps through the next morning's reveille is a favorite! The repetitive narration is similarly hypnotic, and you'll quickly find some of the expressions creeping into your every day dialog. All in all, my very favorite childhood book, and one of the few that I still re-read a few times a year. [©2000 hyperbolium dot com]

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book that made me want to learn to read August 6, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Hardcover

When I was three or four years old I thought Go Dog Go was the finest piece of literature ever written. I wanted it read almost every single day. I loved the pictures, I loved the words, I loved the story and I loved the characters. I memorized the text and recited it along whoever was reading, and when I was four I learned to sight read all the words in it and proudly read it to my parents instead. Unlike many books for preschoolers, it has a real plot, and it's a funny and relatively sophisticated plot at that. My three younger siblings all loved it too, and I was happy to take over a share of the Go Dog Go reading duties from my parents. Every four year old deserves to have a copy of this book and someone special to read it to them.

37 of 39 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite children's book December 1, 2001

By Michael Bird

Format:Hardcover

My all time favorite children's book. Big Dog. Little Dog. My son's first word was "dog". I loved this book when my teens were little and my little one (currently 6 ˝ months) will sit through most of this book (sometimes all) when I read it to her now. It is a great "first reader" as the words are common and the pictures offer help in that when one reads "One big dog going in." and "Two little dogs going out." the picture shows just that. There are red, yellow and green trees, dogs "over the water", dogs "under the house" and lots more word pictures that are fun to read and easy to learn by. The three dogs having a party on a boat at night is just about my favorite line but I still get the most fun when it is night and the dogs are supposed to be asleep and one little one is laying in bed with his eyes wide open. Simply put every child should have this book in their library and reading it to a child should start at a very young age. My highest possible recommendation.