Customer Reviews

Some Dog!

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A picture book is award worthy when it has many layers. And this wonderful book has all that! On the surface it is beautifully illustrated and presents the entertaining story of an established basset hound feeling ousted by a yappy interloper. Underneath, the illustrations provide additional richness to the characters' personality development and the plot development with lightness and humor. Further, it presents a moral lesson of opposite personalities with different talents and styles each having their own value and importance in the scheme of things. As a grammar school librarian, I used this book for my second grade lesson plan. My students loved this book and so do I!

Old George is a slow and steady hound dog and the center of his calm household. His chief pleasure is resting his head on his owner's lap and contentedly studying smells on the wind. Then one day a very lively little dog named Zippity arrives in a flurry of activity and barking as he runs around in circles, fetches the paper, and catches fish. All this hullabaloo makes George feel worn out and left out. But when Zippity gets himself lost in a thunderstorm, its up to George and his strong hound dog nose to sniff the pup out. Searching up and down slides, through the valley, and into a murky swamp, George finally finds Zippity firmly stuck in the mud. George pulls him out and brings him back to the homestead where he and Zippity realize they are both unique and beloved dogs in their own right and despite their differences. Energetically illustrated by Ard Hoyt, Mary Casonova's simple and elegant story of George and Zippity in "Some Dog!" is highly recommended for school and community library picturebook collections because of its appeal to dog lovers of all ages, and entertaining message young readers about sibling rivalry and the value of each and every member of a family.

I read this in my local bookstore and loved it, just figured I'd go ahead and get it on line. Wonderful illustrations, GREAT story! Special appeal for sibling rivals, but more than that. I give this a happy woof woof! And, as a previous owner of a loving basset hound, the text offers a great doggie howl, right on target for sound!

There really is not anything I could find in this book to dislike. The story was good. The illustrations were skillfully done and matched the text perfectly, it was funny and the author was able to nail the relationship between the people in the story, the old dog and the new dog perfectly.

This is the story of an older dog, an old hound, who shares his life with his family, a very nice couple. George, the hound more or less has it made. He has a loving relationship with the couple he lives with, has a wonderful and quite routine and is quite settled in.

And then the unthinkable happens! A shaggy little stray dog shows up...a feisty little terrier who can seem to do now wrong, is full of energy and is into everything. The "new" dog is given the name of Zippity, which pretty well describes him to a tee.

George's quite life style is threatened in a big time way. Will the world ever be the same for the old dog? Will be able to adjust? Will he be able to regain his previously unchallenged title of "Some Dog?"

This is an interesting, funny, and enjoyable tale which is quite realistic and anyone who has introduced a new dog (or about any pet for that matter) into the household will be able to instantly relate to.

Kids like this book as it is filled with amusing action and the illustrations are an absolute hoot. They love to the new dog who is an absolute pest and how old George responds.

Of course all works out well for the old hound in the end and he regains his title and a new companion in Zippity who turns out to be not all that bad after all.

Most children relate to animal stories and love happy animal stories. This one fits that bill perfectly.

I must say I enjoyed every word of this one.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

The book I read was about a dog named George and this other dog named Zippity.Zippitywas a really good dog at first but they spoild him to much that he became extreamly bad things like,he left footprints all over the carpet,and chewed up the rugs,and used to run around the house until....OUT!He was kicked out of the house.When there was a storm Zippity got lost and George felt bad for Zippity so George went out and found Zippity and they became BFFs.


My favorite part of the story was when George found Zippity and they became friends.


someone who has a dog who is a pest and they kicked there dog out of the house.

p.s. if you are reading my recommendantion I hope you like it.

First off, I think you have to love dogs or at least like them in order to enjoy this book.

The book is about a Basset hound whose life changes with the arrival of a hyper and feisty little stray. George doesn't like the changes, but when Zeep is lost in a storm, only George and his superior nose can find him.

I have read this to my daughter so many times that she knows it by heart.

The writing is simple, but very catchy. I even read out the sounds the author writes on the page such as "zeep, zeep, zippity" or something like that.

I am an adult with no kids in my life, yet I love kids' books! This book, SOME DOG, was recommended by BARk! Magazine's editorial review, so I bought it from Amazon. This is a wonderful story - the plot of which I will not divulge here. Suffice it to say that anyone who LOVES dogs, and especially anyone in rescue work, will appreciate the story about the loyalty, dedication, and unconditional love given by an Elder Basset Hound, even at risk of his own life. I have since bought the book to give as gifts to other dog-loving friends! If you do have kids in your life, it also has wonderful moral lessons on acceptance, compassion, dedication, and love. Buy it!

I love dogs and am always looking for children's books about dogs to read to my child. This one reminded me very much of my own two dogs and their vastly different personalities, so how could I not love it?
The illustrations are well done and fairly colorful. The storyline is realistic, interesting and it also teaches a lesson to children about accepting one another and learning to embrace differences and change. George may not be as energetic as his new friend, but that doesn't mean he can't love him. When George is called upon to save the new arrival, he does not hesitate, and learns in the end that his new friend isn't so bad after all.
This may also be good for a child who is getting a new brother or sister. Not to say children are like dogs, but this book will teach them that there will be changes in how they live once the new arrival comes. It may take some getting used to having a new family member, but the change will be one they end up loving in the end. Also, there is the realization that even though there is someone new and different around, they are still special and loved no matter what.

My son met Mary Casanova during Young Authors at school. We purchased this book soon after, and plan to read more of her books in the future!

Casanova, Mary, Some Dog!
This is a delightful story about an old dog named George whose proud family says, "Some Dog!" when he rides with the couple in the middle of a rowboat, "steady and still" as they go fishing, lays his head on the woman as she reads a newspaper, and identifies "a thousand scents on the wind." One day a lively stray dog arrives, named Zippity; he brings the newspaper in, catches a fish and takes the shopping list to the grocery store so the order is ready to be picked up. Now he is called, "Good dog", "Amazing" and "What a dog!" However, when Zippity, is frightened by thunder and goes wild knocking things over in the house, he is put outside; Terrified, Zippity runs away. "He'll get lost!' say the couple but "George just thumped his tail. At last, he'd have his bed all to himself." Then the couple begs George to go out in the storm to rescue Zippity, "If there was one thing George could do, it was follow a smell." A double spread shows George stretched out on a log as he pulls Zippity out of the mud by his collar. This is a sweet story that reassures children that they will each be valued within their family. While most of the illustrations are very colorful and humorous, and plenty big for story time use, those that show the dogs out in the storm reflect in muted blue the darkness of a stormy night and one page reveals a group of small vignettes that detail George's search. The illustrations are full of energy and the dogs' expressions perfectly convey their different personalities: the old dog looks very relaxed and content while Zippity looks persuasively frenetic. This is an appealing story that deserves a wide audience.