If this was reading, I wondered why anyone would bother. They never did much of anything exciting.

He says, “At school I was trying to learn to read by deciphering stories featuring two lame kids named Dick and Jane. In Everything I Need to Know I Learned in a Children’s Book, former National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature Jon Scieszka gave proper props to this book. He’s not the only picture book creator to be influenced by it. “I just don’t know what makes Go, Dog, Go! go,” he said. Though his personal favorite was always Sam and the Firefly (Eastman’s first easy reader) it’s Go, Dog, Go! that strikes home as well. Jon Klassen, creator of I Want My Hat Back and This Is Not My Hat spoke a bit about his influences and of Mr. The timing on this post is particularly well-timed since just yesterday I conducted a panel at Day of Dialog (hosted by SLJ) of picture book authors and illustrators. Three times a pink poodle asks a yellow dog, ‘Do you like my hat?’ And he doesn’t! Then on her fourth try, the dog adores the poodle’s outrageous party hat-and they drive off into the sunset together.” Go!’ These dogs drive around in cars and finally meet at a party. ‘Dogs in cars again./Going away./Going away fast./Look at those dogs go./Go, dog. The plot as described on Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-a-Day Almanac reads, “In a mere seventy-five words, Eastman manages to portray a group of dogs engaged in high-speed activities and madness.

We’ve already seen one Eastman make it onto this list with his Are You My Mother? But honestly, when you want to talk about the Eastman title that Kids are riveted by what the dogs are up to on each page, and if they happen to learn to read a few words along the way, so much the better. The ongoing routine, “Do you like my hat?” makes an oddly pleasing narrative thread even as it resembles an Allen and Burns routine. But mostly it’s a masterpiece of dogs-all kinds of dogs doing doggy (and human) things with slightly ironic expressions. This one is a masterpiece of humor, wordplay, and just plain words. My just-turned 6-year old read this to me in it’s entirety last week! First book ever she read all the way through.

Go dog go by pd eastman