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165th out of 326 books
—
304 voters
Guinea Dog
by
Patrick Jennings (Goodreads Author)
Rufus has been dreaming of getting a dog. His best friend has one. His worst friend has one. But his dad has a few objections: They whine. They gnaw. They bark. They scratch. They beg. They drool.
Rufus pays no attention when his mom offers her think-outside-the-box suggestion, because she can't be serious. She can't be.
She can be. And she actually comes home with a guine...more
Rufus pays no attention when his mom offers her think-outside-the-box suggestion, because she can't be serious. She can't be.
She can be. And she actually comes home with a guine...more
Hardcover, 183 pages
Published
April 13th 2010
by EgmontUSA
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I enjoyed this title. It will make a good read read aloud. I was excited to see that this is the same author that wrote We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes which was a hilarious title! Guinea Dog is about the theme of a child wanting a dog as a pet and the parent saying NO. I personally have been there and understand the intense desire to get a dog to love and play with. Like Rufus, my dad said absolutely not! This was a wonderful fantasy about what happens if the boy gets a guinea pig that does exactl...more
i expected a story about a boy and his "dog". it was less about that and more about ... differences? i guess so. there was that lesson of you have to look on the inside instead of judging things by the outside, so that was good. i think there wasn't enough story about the title and main topic of the book. it is possible that there wouldn't be much of a story if they stuck to that though. what i did not like was the lack of respect often through the book. i understand kids being hard on their par...more
Fifth-grader Rufus desperately wants a dog, but his dad has a mile long lists of reasons why his family will never get one. That doesn't stop Rufus from asking and hoping, though. Then one day, his mom brings a pet home for him--a guinea pig! Rufus is disappointed and embarrassed, and hopes that it will annoy his dad enough for him to take Fido back to the pet store. What will happen when the pet store seems to have disappeared and Fido starts acting like a dog? This book is fun and funny. Many...more
Right over here! Look this way! Over here! TWEET! You looking? Yeah, so right over we've got ourselves a Patrick Jennings fan. Yup. Patrick Jennings. The guy who wrote that fantastic We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes, along with approximately a hundred other books. You've read him, right? No? Well that's fine with me. It's like when you discover this cool underground band, and you get to be their biggest fan all by yourself. It's great. You walk around with this knowledge in your head of, "I am into...more
This book is about how a boy named Rufus really wanted a dog but his dad doesn’t like dogs because the pee, they poop, they eat poop, they eat dead things, their breath smells like dead things and poop. So his mom gets him a guinea pig. Now he feels too embarrassed to tell anyone because everyone has a dog from his worst friend to his best friends. So embarrassed, he’s not going to tell his best friend, Murphy. Even though Rufus wants to return the guinea pig, Fido, he can’t because the pet sto...more
This book is exactly what you think it is going to be when you read the title. However, that didn't make it anything less than what it should've been. This is a very quick read for us adults and I did find myself smiling and actually laughing out loud when I was reading the story. It moves quickly and it's adorable, you fall in love with the characters and Fido and just want to be in their world. The main character is a fifth grade boy and as a fifth grade teacher, I think Jennings NAILED the pe...more
In this charming book by Patrick Jennings, Rufus longs for the day that his father lifts his "no dogs" ban in their house. But since there seems to be no sign of that ever happening, his mother tries to appease him by getting him a guinea pig. But Rufus soon discovers that this is no ordinary guinea pig. This rotund little rodent with a white mohawk runs, fetches, rolls over, and even barks!
I could not stop smiling the entire time I read this book. Patrick Jennings had me believing that there wa...more
I could not stop smiling the entire time I read this book. Patrick Jennings had me believing that there wa...more
Fun read about family, friends, and surviving middle school. The funny, clever and slightly sarcastic dialogue from main character Rufus is wonderful. He is a great kid, not a perfect kid, a real kid. For example he named his female guinea pig FIDO, because he wanted a dog (not a guinea pig). Jennings really gets a hold of the importance of peer acceptance and succesfully uses it to help Rufus learn the harm in "judging a book by its cover" and its whats inside that counts. Great Read Aloud. Eas...more
So a boy wishes for a dog and gets a guinea pig instead. A version of this exact same event happened in my own family a couple of years ago. If only Miss Guinea, our guinea pig, had been as entertaining as Fido. Fido the Guinea Pig fetches, plays dead, sniffs dogs butts, and runs alongside the boys on their bicycles. I had pretty low expectations for Guinea Dog, but it was absolutely entertaining! I can recommend this book to our 2nd through 5th graders and know that it will find an audience tha...more
We met the author and got the book signed - big thrill for my kids. A big thanks to Patrick Jennings for being so nice to Elena and Miles.
Just the right speed for my 3rd grader. Add to the fact that her parents won't let her get a dog either, that it's hilarious for a guinea pig to act like a dog, and it's a winner. Not as many deeper meanings as in We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes, but that is such a "Mom" comment, the book is for kids and heck did I want deeper meanings in 3rd grade?
Just the right speed for my 3rd grader. Add to the fact that her parents won't let her get a dog either, that it's hilarious for a guinea pig to act like a dog, and it's a winner. Not as many deeper meanings as in We Can't All Be Rattlesnakes, but that is such a "Mom" comment, the book is for kids and heck did I want deeper meanings in 3rd grade?
I thought that this book was very hilarious. It was about a boy who really wanted a dog but his dad hated dogs. So his mom tried to compromise by getting him a guinea pig. However, this was not your average kind of guinea pig! This guinea pig does everything a dog does from barking, going on walks, fetching, etc. Also, other dogs want to play with him. One of my favorite parts was when the boy didn't like the guinea pig. One of his friends asked if she could have it but in the end he decided to...more
When his mother brings home a guinea pig instead of the dog he really wants, fifth-grader Rufus is not happy---until the rodent starts acting exactly like a dog. Jennings wrote the wonderful “We Can’t All Be Rattlesnakes” last year. Told from the boy’s point of view this time (rather than the animal) this book has been popular with everyone who owns a guinea pig, and kids who can relate to Rufus’s father’s long, long, loooong list of why he can’t have a dog.
Read because this is a William Allen White nominee for this year. And I really enjoyed it. It is realistic fiction (unless the idea of a trained guinea pig would be fantasy). Rufus really wants a dog, but his mom gets him a guinea pig. At first he's embarrassed about it but then enjoys how much Fido is like a dog and how well trained she is. He gets to know himself and his friend Murphy better and realizes people (and pets) aren't always what they seem.
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Delightful book about a boy named Rufus who wants a dog desperately. When his mom buys him a guinea pig instead, he is deeply disappointed and wants to return the animal. Fido, the guinea pig, starts acting so much like a dog, though, Rufus gives him a chance. Envy of a friend--from his dog to his normal house & normal family--is a theme that many kids will relate to.
I read this because it is up for the Colorado Children's Book Award, CCBA, and I wanted to be able to recommend it or not to my library students. I think children will enjoy it, although it isn't my favorite children's book. I would recommend many others before this. However, it does tell a humorous tale of a boy and his pet guinea pig. Jennings does a nice job of making a guinea pig acting like a dog somewhat believable, and creates fun instances between the boy and his pet. It gets a little "p...more
All Rufus wanted was a dog but his dad wont let him he could give you any reason why he would'nt want a dog.So since mom feels bad she buys a surprise for Rufus and guinea pig at first Rufus didnt even want this thing but eventually there relationship got stronger even his best friend would give his dog up for a guinea pig that acts like a dog.The guinea pig got named Fido the dream name for Rufus imanginary dog but Fido is just like a dog even when Rufus got sick Fido would always lay next to h...more
This book, although a cute concept, was just ok in my opinion. I felt it was missing some humor and a lot of conflict. Where was the rising action, the conflict resolution and the falling action? It lacked any excitement. On the positive side, I liked the way Jennings wrote his young boy characters. They thought and acted much like my own fifth grade students.
Very amusing stuff. I love the twist of magic thrown into the story, and Fido sounds awfully cute. The situations are mostly humorous, but friendships are also addressed in a serious yet highly positive way. The main characters are in 5th grade, but younger kids will also enjoy the story and the reading level is fortunately not out of their reach.
Reviewed by hoopsielv for TeensReadToo.com
For as long as he can remember, Rufus has been longing for a dog. His parents definitely aren't, however.
Instead, Rufus' mom brings home an unexpected and unwanted gift: a guinea pig! The family learns quickly, though, that Fido isn't just an ordinary guinea pig.
She must have some dog blood in her!
Fido starts keeping the family up at night and gets sent to the "doghouse" (actually the treehouse), follows Rufus around, sleeps at the foot of the bed, and e...more
For as long as he can remember, Rufus has been longing for a dog. His parents definitely aren't, however.
Instead, Rufus' mom brings home an unexpected and unwanted gift: a guinea pig! The family learns quickly, though, that Fido isn't just an ordinary guinea pig.
She must have some dog blood in her!
Fido starts keeping the family up at night and gets sent to the "doghouse" (actually the treehouse), follows Rufus around, sleeps at the foot of the bed, and e...more
My mom actually bought this book for me because of the subject of guinea pigs. I used to have one until it passed away a year ago. Reading this book reminded me a lot like Goku, my pet guinea pig, but he didn't fetch anything or do anything neat like Fido did in the book. Overall, it's a cute story.
A funny little story from the "I want a dog " genre. Rufus' dad says no to a dog, mom surprises him with a guinea pig who soon shows some very dog- like behavior. Vague themes of friendship, and wanting to fit in, but overall a light, fun story. This MCBA nominee is a good match for 4 th grade.
Rufus has always wanted a dog, but his father is adamant that they will not get a dog. His mother buys a guinea pig instead. Fido as Rufus names her seems to think that she is a dog rather than a guinea pig. This is a fun read not only about Rufus and Fido, but also about family and friendship.
Great book for 3rd grade readers who like pets.
Rufus can't have a dog because of his dad not wanting one at the house, so his mom decides to get him "the next best thing" - a guinea pig. Can Rufus get past the fact that Fido isn't a dog and see that she is still a cool pet?
Rufus can't have a dog because of his dad not wanting one at the house, so his mom decides to get him "the next best thing" - a guinea pig. Can Rufus get past the fact that Fido isn't a dog and see that she is still a cool pet?
Funny book that will be a great one to recommend to boys in 2nd-4th grade. I liked the main character and his family, but I especially loved what sounded like the cutest guinea pig ever. My son couldn't put it down either and we both read it in one sitting.
Funny book that will be a great one to recommend to boys in 2nd-4th grade. I liked the main character and his family, but I especially loved what sounded like the cutest guinea pig ever. My son couldn't put it down either and we both read it in one sitting.
Super predictable, but HILARIOUS. Seriously--It's laugh out loud funny. Patrick Jennings is hysterical. Students who like sarcasm will be laughing along with you. A great all around book. Round characters. Great for boys! It makes a great read aloud.
Ugh. I hated this book. I've been raising guinea pigs for over twenty years, they are neat creatures in their own right without anyone needing to turn them into really stupid animals. My three guinea pigs give this a collective twelve paws down.
Up for William Allen White award. This is most certainly a kid friendly, fun title about a boy that really wants a dog, but instead his mom gets him a guinea pig that acts like a dog. Pretty cute story. Great for a read a loud.
Jul 30, 2011
Beth Moorhead
added it
The boy wanted a dog and you know what he got. Loved the quirky parents and kid to kid interaction. Never to early to learn the lesson when life gives you lemons make lemonade and lemon sorbet and lemon cookies and lemon......
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Jan 29, 2013 09:11pm