Dogteam (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Sometimes we run at night..." (more)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The distinguished author of Dogsong and Hatchet somewhat strains for effect in this prose poem describing a night run with a team of dogs. Each stanza begins with a kind of chapter heading ("The dance," "Into the night," etc.) that signals the oncoming sights and sounds amid the eerie glacial expanses. Gary Paulsen's rhythms mimic the panting, brisk pace of the running dogs, as in the description of the wolves they encounter: "they run with us, pace the dogs, pace our hearts and our lives and then turn, turn away in the blue dark." The technique, however, is easily overdone: "Away from camp, away from people, away from houses and light and noise and into only the one thing, into only winternight they fly away and away and away." Ruth Wright Paulsen's dogs look illuminated from within, rendered as they are in bright grays and yellows with detailed pen and ink, contrasting sharply with the soft, spare background. The landscape, on the other hand, remains impenetrable, no more likely to envelop the reader than is the highly personal text. Only in the crisp, poetic prose of an endnote does Paulsen--who has twice raced in the Iditarod--finally convey his exhilaration. All ages.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-There are few things more beautiful than a moonlit winter night, and Paulsen has captured that, plus the thrill of speeding across the snow via dogsled, in a text as crisp, clean, and magical as such evenings. It is the dogs' emotions, as much as the narrator's, that are evoked: the animals strain at their harnesses, singing in anticipation of the run. Ruth Wright Paulsen's illustrations show the nuances of canine behavior in the positions of ears, tails, lolling tongues, and flashing paws. The swift, strong, smiling creatures are one with the white and blue-black night; on one double-page spread, the aurora borealis in ghostly greens is their background. Dogteam reads aloud beautifully, but its poetry will be best understood through one-on-one sharing with an adult. All who see and hear it will, for a few moments, join in the winter run. Children who live in areas without snow will experience the wonder of its season through this book. For those living in cold climates, it may inspire a nighttime ski, or skate, or at least a moonlit walk, and they will understand the dogs' dilemma: although it is comforting to come home to warmth and firelight, something in them yearns to run forever.
Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 1 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385305508
• ISBN-13: 978-0385305501
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #955,226 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning, February 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Dogteam (Paperback)

Beautiful illustrations and vivid, descriptive sentences! I purchased this book to teach my first graders about descriptive writing. They were in awe of the book! Living in the south, most of them have never even seen snow or even heard of dog sledding. After having been dog sledding myself I knew I had to find a way to share the experience and this book was it! It is truly one of my favorites!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent picture book, September 25, 2000

By	Isabel "ipsaharding" (Atlanta, GA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dogteam (Paperback)

DOGTEAM is a beautifully illustrated, as well as beautifully, simply, dramatically written book. It is not exactly a children's picture book, but more for lovers of dogs of all ages. Gary Paulsen is the author and retired dogsledder, who is most remembered for his young adult books such as HATCHET and DOGSONG. Ruth Wright Paulsen is his wife and the spectacular watercolor illustrator of the book. The picture book seems to be based on Paulsen's midnight adventures with his beloved dogteam, and readers will feel as if they are running alongside the dogteam, the sled whispering behind them. A great book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all ages, December 14, 2004

By	Elizabeth M. Timmins "desperate librarian" (oneida, wi) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dogteam (Paperback)

Gary Paulson's Dogteam is a beautifully written prose poem that describes a dogteam's running on a cold winter's night. As the author takes the reader across the moonlit trail, the sensory, descriptive words make you feel you are truly on the trail with the team. The watercolor illustrations by Ruth Wright Paulson capture the eagerness the dogs feel for running at night. I use this book with third grade students to model the use of descriptive language in writing. The children love the book and read it over and over.