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168th out of 174 books
—
123 voters
The Doghouse
by
Jan Thomas
Mouse, Pig, Cow, and Duck are playing a carefree game of ball when (horror of horrors!) their ball gets kicked into . . . THE DOGHOUSE. Who will risk a run-in with scary Dog to get it back? Hysterical high anxiety ensues as Mouse volunteers each animal to do the dirty work—but you’ll never believe what’s really going on in the doghouse! With Jan Thomas’s fun, fresh art and...more
Hardcover, 40 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Harcourt Children's Books
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Bein’ scared. Is it a part of childhood? Absolutely. A list of some things that I was afraid of as a youngster:
1) Deep water
2) Goulash
3) Mean dogs
Jan Thomas, on a roll with the recent “A Birthday for Cow!” and “What Will Fat Cat Sit On?“, addresses my third fear with success in “The Doghouse”. Funny while maintaining an underlying truth (the unknown can be scary), “Doghouse” will be a great addition to your story time repertoire.
As with previous books by this author, the storyline is uncluttered...more
1) Deep water
2) Goulash
3) Mean dogs
Jan Thomas, on a roll with the recent “A Birthday for Cow!” and “What Will Fat Cat Sit On?“, addresses my third fear with success in “The Doghouse”. Funny while maintaining an underlying truth (the unknown can be scary), “Doghouse” will be a great addition to your story time repertoire.
As with previous books by this author, the storyline is uncluttered...more
Synopsis
Barnyard animals are playing ball when they accidentally kick their ball in the doghouse. Who will be brave enough to retreive it?
Review
The simple, short narrative and animal sounds make this a great option for storytime. The story begins on the title page and wastes no time getting to the action. Bold colors and thick lines make the pictures easy to see from a distance. The repetative nature of the story is excellent for building narrative skills and the play on the phrase "I'm having d...more
Barnyard animals are playing ball when they accidentally kick their ball in the doghouse. Who will be brave enough to retreive it?
Review
The simple, short narrative and animal sounds make this a great option for storytime. The story begins on the title page and wastes no time getting to the action. Bold colors and thick lines make the pictures easy to see from a distance. The repetative nature of the story is excellent for building narrative skills and the play on the phrase "I'm having d...more
Another good for younger children.
After our usual "greeting" and "story-time theme segue" songs I introduced three plush friends which just happen to populate my office or library display shelves on occasion. A very over-sized book-reading mouse, a teeny-tiny cow, a teeny-tiny duck, and a teeny-tiny dog. All we were missing was the pig.
I turned to the front inside cover of this book which shows cow kicking a big red ball towards his three friends. I invited the story time crowd to prepare to "catch the ball" (All hands were rais...more
I turned to the front inside cover of this book which shows cow kicking a big red ball towards his three friends. I invited the story time crowd to prepare to "catch the ball" (All hands were rais...more
Thomas’ latest offering featuring her familiar animal buddies (A Birthday for Cow, 2008) provides more silly fun. When their ball flies into the doghouse, mouse tries to get each of the animals to go in and get it out. Cow goes in first but Cow does not come out. Oh no! When Pig and then Duck suffer the same fate, mouse yells, “Can’t you come out, Duck?” The big dog yells back, “No! Because I am having Duck for dinner.” Mouse assumes the worst but a happy ending is in store for all. The bold car...more
Just as much fun as her previous books, but the ending on this one was too predictable. Might not be to toddlers, however, and it's a great read-aloud, so when I find me some toddlers, I'll try it out on them :) The art and design is so fabulous...
Great book for dramatic reading aloud-- right down to the fonts. Funny illustrations. The boys liked it but will probably enjoy it more on repeated readings when they are already "in" on the irony.
I love this for storytime right up until the end, because it kind of peters out. All the resolution is in the pictures, and there's a time gap that usually needs some explanation with younger listeners, who don't immediately understand that mouse came back during the page turn even though that plot development wasn't shown in the actual page. I usually have to ad-lib a textual resoluation to give us all a sense of closure. But until that point, this has a nice rhythm of accumulation ("Now the ba...more
This book is hilarious. Though it's an old joke, the illustrations add a lot, and make it perfect for reading aloud to a group.
I love Jan Thomas' books--so cute and funny!
Great suspense picture book for toddlers
This book has suspense and mystery! The animals keep going into the doghouse... and not coming out! What can be happening inside? Will we ever find out? Is the tiny doghouse magic, since the cow can fit and the pig can fit and the duck can fit? Oh, wait, we don't discuss that.
Fun to read with kids. I like the illustrations here better than in What Will Fat Cat Sit On?.
Fun to read with kids. I like the illustrations here better than in What Will Fat Cat Sit On?.
Nov 16, 2012
Wendy
added it
I picked up this book while looking for an appropriate 'scary' book for a storytime around Halloween, and this book fit the bill perfectly. If you've read Thomas' other books, you know that you are in for big, bold illustrations and a terrific sense of humor that kids and adults will enjoy. My storytimers LOVED this book, and there's just enough repetition in the book to build up some anticipation (why is everyone disappearing into...THE DOGHOUSE?!) and score some literacy points.
Four animals playing ball accidentally kick the ball into the haunted dog house. One by one the mouse convinces the animals about why they are the most qualified to go in to retrieve the ball ("Pig is smart. Pig is wise. Pig is STINKY.")but none of them ever come out. There is a laugh on every page. And the ending is so great.
Highly recommended for all kids who enjoy picture books.
Highly recommended for all kids who enjoy picture books.
The Doghouse by Jan Thomas gives early readers an opportunity to explore books with themes of mystery. As the friends one-by-one enter the dog house and do not return, readers are left to join the mouse in wondering what happened to them. At the end of the book, readers are given the opportunity to learn what really happened and see if their predictions were accurate. The book is excellent for early readers as the text is simple yet the story deep!
Mar 03, 2011
Tdavis
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Two - Kindergarten
Shelves:
print-awareness,
preschool
A fantastic book dealing with fear! The illustrations are simple and colorfully. The text is bold and emphasizes “The Doghouse”—making it appear scary. Dialogue balloons also address print awareness. It’s a great read-a-loud with fun word play!
Early Literacy Skills:
Narrative Skills
Print Awareness
Print Motivation
Vocabulary
Early Literacy Skills:
Narrative Skills
Print Awareness
Print Motivation
Vocabulary
Nate really enjoyed reading "Here Comes the Mean Dust Bunny!". He says "it's easy and it's funny!". So I decided to look for other books by the same author. He was so excited when I showed him this book when he got home from school. He couldn't wait to read it. That's what I like to see! And this book did not disappoint... very easy and silly. A fun read. Cute illustrations.
Jan Thomas is my new go-to storytime author. I've been reading this one, along with _Rhyming Dust Bunnies_, for an abbreviated storytime this month and it's been going over big with the preschoolers. For added drama, I'll tell them we're reading a scary book and read the title in a deep, dramatic voice. Every time I read the words "the doghouse" again, I do it in that deep, scary voice. Once I added a "dun dun dun!" afterwards, and the kids picked up on that and started doing it as well. While a...more
I absolutely LOVE Jan Thomas' books and this is one of my favorites! I love to "sell it" as a book that may be "too scary" for my audience. Do they think they can handle it? Then really play up the suspense until the fun, twist of a conclusion. Bright colors, bold illustrations, fun characters, quirky storyline and a twist at the end. Great fun for pre-schoolers.
I used this book for a Play & Learn program with a focus on print awareness. By pointing out the bold yellow print used every time "THE DOGHOUSE" is mentioned in the story, the audience had clear cues for when to read aloud with me. Afterwords parents revisted the book with thier individual children. This was a fun, not-too-scary, humorous story to share.
Very simple picture book with bright illustrations and simple text perfect for toddlers. The animal characters are depicted with such bold expressions, you can't help but smile. I love Jan Thomas' artwork! Excellent choice for a storytime on feelings, or sharing one on one with your little one who may be a wee bit scared of unknown places.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
One fine day, Mouse, Cow, Pig, and Duck are playing ball. Oops! The ball goes in the doghouse. Who will get it? Mouse convinces all his friends to go into the doghouse first, but no one comes back out. Yikes! What happened to them? Mouse may be missing out on a great surprise.
Used for "Caring for Pets-Dogs" Storytime 01/10.
Used for "Caring for Pets-Dogs" Storytime 01/10.
Jun 09, 2009
Becky
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Preschool and up
Shelves:
picture-books,
read-alouds
Hee hee! Jan Thomas's books are great for group sharing (bold, simple, crazy-bright illustrations), and always have a great punch line. The animals go into the doghouse one by one in search of their lost ball, but they don't come back out. You could build up a lot of suspense with this one. Share with all your favorite little ones!
0-7. Kind of cute. the ball goes into the dog's house, everyone afraid to go in. Mouse nominates other friends one by one to go in after it and when no one comes out Mouse is afraid.
(spoiler)
turns out dog has made dinner and they're all eating, mouse too afraid to come but gathers up the courage by dessert time.
(spoiler)
turns out dog has made dinner and they're all eating, mouse too afraid to come but gathers up the courage by dessert time.
The illustrations were really lacking if you ask me and almost caused me to put it back on the shelf. The story was CUTE...the perfect repetition for little ones...the right amount of angst...then a perfect twist at the end! Perfectly simple.
If the illustrations had been more appealing, I could see this being a 5-star book.
If the illustrations had been more appealing, I could see this being a 5-star book.
This book reminds me of Little Red Hen, because nobody wants to go in the doghouse. Unlike Little Red Hen, this book ends happily. The mouse makes everyone go in before him, and then he finally has some courage and enters. I like this book because you could talk about bullying, courage, and taking intiative.
When several animal friends kick a ball into the doghouse, one by one they go in to retrieve the ball and their friends. Everyone goes in but doesn't come out. Everyone until mouse. What is going on in that doghouse? You can build up the suspense with this book as each animal enters the doghouse. Great ending!
Um, have I mentioned that I'm a total fan of Jan Thomas yet. Yeah...I think I have. I can't say that this title is one of my favorites because I love them all. Mouse has a shock to see what happens when cow, pig and duck retrieve the ball from the doghouse--each not emerging.
I don't usually review books we read with our kids, but I have to mention this one because it is the funniest book we have read in a long time. If your family likes Mo Willems' "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" and related series, your kids will love this author also.
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Lives in Socorro, New Mexico.
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