Dogzilla: A Laugh-Out-Loud Picture Book About a Giant Dog and Mice for Kids

by Dav Pilkey

Dogzilla is a funny picture book from the genius mind of Dav Pilkey—creator of laugh-out-loud kid favorites including Captain Underpants and Dog Man. It's time for Mousopolis's First Annual Barbecue Cook-Off. But just when the fun is about to begin, the irresistible aroma of barbecue sauce awakens the most frightening creature known to the dreaded Dogzilla! As her horrible doggy breath fills the streets, the residents of Mousopolis must run for their lives. Can they get rid of that big stinky dog before it's too late? For kids not quite ready to enter the chapter book world, Dogzilla is a winner.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Humor, Dogs, Fiction, Fantasy

32 pages, Paperback

First published September 29, 1993

About the author

David "Dav" Pilkey (b. March 4, 1966), is a popular children's author and artist. Pilkey is best known as the author and illustrator of the Captain Underpants book series. He lives near Seattle, Washington with his wife, Sayuri.

Reviews

[Spencer Orey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this book when I was a kid. It still rules.

[Qt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, clever story, with inventive and really fun picures: photos combined with art!

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very silly book and really pretty stupid unless you love dogs. The author says the stars are all his pets. His adorable mutt takes center stage as Dogzilla. All the scenes are photos of the dog and/or other animals with the surroundings of the scene painted on. It's obvious that the photos are just random pictures taken of this little guy/gal, usually grinning re-purposed for this book, but somehow the effect is freakin' hilarious. The beast is a mixed breed, chunky, kind of funny looking and probably older unlike most dogs in children's books and his goofy maw with tongue hanging out brings a smile to my face every time. The mice only add to the zaniness, kind of like the mice in Babe. The story is cute and taken with the photo montages makes a delightful story for a dog lover like me. (I make no such claims for cat lovers.)

[Gina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know how this one got missed during my children's book rereads, but I'm glad I hadn't gotten rid of it. It's hysterically goofy.

[Monster]

Dav Pilkey's unusual style of illustration- photographic collage retouched with acrylic paint- gives his book a surreal look even before the story has started. Although his rating of EG warns that some material make be too goofy for grown-ups, the book is like a giant inside joke for the parents. Kids will slide right inside the story of Dogzilla, a giant dog who emerges from a volcano at the smell of barbecue in the city of Mousopolis (populated, you guessed it, by mice), eating barbecue and accidentally destroying Mousopolis in her wake. The leader of the desperate mice, the Big Cheese, hits on a plan to chase Dogzilla away- by threatening her with a bath! She finally retreats into the volcano. Problem solved, right? Well... there's always next year. Pilkey's combined narrative and illustration make Dogzilla an absurd delight your kids will love to share, and Pilkey's over-the-top sense of humor will make it a book adults will enjoy sharing with them as well. There's a companion book, Kat Kong, that lovers of Dogzilla will want to check out as well. Highly recommended. Contains: extremely bad jokes.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly read before 2008, possibly once or twice more between 2013 and 2020

***

What's not to love? Giant Dogzilla terrorizing Mousopolis, cheesy puns, funny photomontages.

***

The Captain Underpants books never appealed, who knows why not, but Dogzilla and Kat Kong I adore. They are so silly. And the idea that Pilkey spent a bunch of time photographing his pets so he could make these pictures, that just charms me. I have been meaning to add both to my permanent collection for so long, but there was always something more pressing. But now I can wallow in the joy of ownership.

Maybe it's just that Dogzilla is played by a corgi? I'm only sorry I didn't keep better track of this one. It's fun now to look at entries from books the Offspring liked having read to them: having the actual dates makes it easier for me to picture them then. Apparently I'm getting nostalgic now that they're grown and I'm no longer sleep-deprived.

Personal copy.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Erika Her-O · Rating 5 out of 5]

Que buena técnica de fotografía y dibujos. Simpática historia del Perro Dogzilla 🐶

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a silly tale featuring Dav Pilkey. The narrative is dramatic and the pictures of his pets are "manipulated photographic collage, heavily retouched with acrylic paint." This creates a fun, nonsensical world and a humorous story.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: It was summertime in the city of Mousopolis, and mice from all corners of the community had come together to compete in the First Annual Barbecue Cook-Off.

Premise/plot: This picture book is rated G--EG to be exact, for extremely goofy. In Dogzilla, the smell of barbecuing meat awakens a ferocious beast. This beast--Dogzilla--makes its way to the city and through the city. Can anything stop Dogzilla's rampage? Will the mice prove to be courageous?

My thoughts: I really like this one too. Both Kat Kong and Dogzilla are over-the-top silly.

"Gentlemice," said Professor O'Hairy, "this monster comes from prehistoric times. It is perhaps millions of years old." "Maybe we could teach it to do something positive for the community," suggested the Big Cheese. "I'm afraid not," said Professor O'Hairy. "You simply can't teach an old dog new tricks! If we're going to defeat this dog, we've got to think like a dog! We've got to find something that all dogs are afraid of--something that will scare this beast away from Mousopolis FOREVER!"

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 4 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How awesome is it for an author to use his own pets as inspiration for a book. What makes this story even better is that he used real pictures of his dog and mice, and layered over/under paint to fill out the graphic. To make his smiling dog look like he is eating a building, or tearing off a dino mouse's tale. Such a wonderful story that you could imagine your granddad telling you, while he point to the dog sleeping on the floor. Completely wonderful.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and cute. Good for beginning readers, as not too long or complicated. Plenty to discover in the photos.

[Katherine C. Hirstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book with realistic illustrations.

[Eleanor Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredible, no notes

[Cheryl]

also on openlibrary

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a funny book.
I love that it's all photoshopped. And I love the first page as well.
Such as:
- "The illustrations in this book are manipulated photographic collage, heavily retouched with acrylic paint."
- "This book has been rated EG (extremely goofy)"

And I love that the book has the starring characters in it as well. Such as the mice and the dog.
It was a funny book and I would have loved this as a kid just as much as I do now.

[Caroline Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

• Dogzilla written and directed by Dav Pilkey
o This is a silly fictional book about a dog being a dog. The dog smelt a yummy smell coming from the first ever annual barbecue cook-off. This peaked the dogs interest and she made her way to Mousopolis. While the dog was doing her dogly duties, she practically destroys mourolopis. The mice spend the majority of their time trying finding ways to successfully get rid of the Dogzilla. They finally successfully do so by attempting to give her a bath. This sends Dogzilla running to the hills. Next year around the same time the mice figure they have nothing to worry about during their annual barbecue cook-off until they come face to face with the puppies!
o Grade level: 1st or 2nd grade
o Appropriate Classroom Use: I would only use this book for entertainment purposes only. There is no educational or life lessons found in this book. Younger kids would find it funny and entertaining!
o Individual students who might benefit from this book would probably be boys that are around the age of 6 to 7.
o Small Group use: This could be used for small group readings but I probably would not test my students over this book. I would purely use it for entertainment reading if the children choose to read it.
o Whole class use: I would read this book out loud if we had some free time during the day. This might be a book the students choose for me to read when they can choose a book since it is funny.
o Related Books in genre/subject or content areas: I could not find any. This book seems to be one of a kind.
o Multimedia connections: None that I am aware of.

[Sara Ullery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dogzilla by Dav Pilkey Ages 7-11 Grades 2-5
• This is a silly story about a mice city and the attack of Dogzilla. This book has vivid images that give incredible detail to the story. This book uses expressive language that will expand vocabulary in a fun way. The mice work together to find a way to get rid of Dogzilla once and for all!
• Educators may use this book for English, Creative writing, and problem-solving activities.
• Ages 7-11 Grades 2-5
• Individual students will enjoy reading this book on their own. They can take the larger words they may not understand yet and look up the definitions.
• Small groups may create new sentences using the larger vocabulary from this book to create their own fun story.
• As a class, after reading the book students can work together to formulate their own “Dogzilla” and create a solution to the problem.
• This book is available in libraries, bookstores, and ebooks.

[Caleb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think this worked all that well as Kat Kong, on account of dogs and mice not having the same sort of relationship as cats and mice, although the imagery was pretty cool. Godzilla doesn't lend itself to the sort of one-for-one parody that King Kong does, and so this doesn't really play off Godzilla the way Kat Kong played off of its monster movie inspiration.

But what I really disliked about it was that the mice were barbecuing mice-sized ribs and drumbsticks, and it was the smell of this meat cooking that awoke the titular monster. Where did the mice get tiny little cows and chickens? Or tiny little mammals and birds of any kind? Were they eating baby mouse ribs?! That's a very disturbing thought to put in young readers' heads, Dav Pilkey!

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this story and the paintings; although I do agree with some of the other reviewers that the paperboy looks very young. I noticed that the dog is a Corgi, the same breed of dog as in Pilkey's Dogzilla. I liked the peaceful looking town and the gradual change from dark night to dawn to daytime.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book and so do kids it seems. While a horrible, stinky dog terrifies Mousopolis, the mice have to plan their defense. It’s hysterically funny for adults as well as children. It would be great for a family storytime as older kids will appreciate the story as much as the little ones.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh gosh, this picture book is too cute! Will the residents of Mouseopolis escape the terrors of the dreaded Dogzilla? Find out in Dav Pilkey's Dogzilla!

[Steph (loves water) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this many times with my son, and laughed hysterically every time!

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Must be read with appropriate squeaky mouse and monster dog voices to illicit a multitude of giggles from five year olds.

[Karen Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biased review. This is my absolute favorite children's book because one of our dogs, Radner, is one of the puppies pictured at the end. EVERY child should have this book!

[Natascha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading level: 4.2
Lextile: 780L
Fountas & Pinnell: P

Book summary: This is the hilarious story of Dogzilla, a frightening creature that terrorizes the rodent citizens of Mousopolis during a city-wide cookoff. You will want to find out if those citizens will be able to get rid of Dogzilla before it’s too late.

Genre: Picture book. Dogzilla contains the two main features of a picture book: brief text and illustrations on every page.

Mentor writing traits:
Organization – Dogzilla demonstrates effective story organization. The cover and beginning pages are designed to ‘hook’ the reader. There is a warning that this book is rated EG ‘extremely goofy’ which will catch the interest of adults and kids alike. The book goes on to present the next events and ideas in a logical order. For example, the smell of BBQ sauce used in the cookoff awakens Dogzilla, she goes down to investigate, chaos ensures, etc. This books ends with a satisfying ending that makes sense but I am not giving that away in this review.

Word choice – Dav Pilkey is very intentional in his use of words/phrases when describing the action happening in Dogzilla. He includes vocabulary and phrases that are commonly associated with dogs. Some examples include when Professor O’Hairy says, ‘you simply can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ and the Big Cheese exclaims ‘well, I’ll be dog-goned’ when Dogzilla runs back into the volcano in fear of further washing.

Presentation – the imagery used in Dogzilla are realistic images or photos of mice and a dog, they aren’t drawn illustrations. All the characters are ‘played’ by the author’s actual pets. Both of these presentation features add to the entertainment or amusement of the readers and help build a reader’s interest in the book.

Classroom integration/mini-lessons/content connection:
Dogzilla can be used as a mentor text demonstrating how the right word choice(s) can create a vivid, sensory-rich experience for readers. Students can be challenged to identify the words and phrases that Pilkey uses to create a sensory experience and to revise/edit their writing by adding word or phrases that will create a similar sensory rich experience with their stories.

This book can also be used as an example of the writing trait of organization. Students can identify the different parts of the internal structure of a story using a graphic organizer like a story map. They could later use a similar graphic organizer to map out their own story.

Another idea would be to use Dogzilla as inspiration for students to they create their own creature (illustration and verbal description) and create a story that includes that creature. The story should follow the three parts of the story timeline: beginning, middle, and end.

Since Pilkey uses his own pets as characters in his story, maybe students can be asked to write a story or poem that involves their own pets are characters.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You have to love it! As First Annual Barbecue Cook-Off was getting underway in the city of Mousepolis, the succulent scent of BBQ filled the air. He was hidden so the mice didn’t realize what problems awaited them. Inside an ancient volcano, the scent reached Dogzilla and he emerged. Soldiers, alerted of Dogzilla’s appearance, had their plans to capture the beast fail and now, he was roaming their city, causing chaos. Well, maybe not chaos but “things that come naturally to dogs” like: chasing cars (“right off the freeway”) and chewing furniture (“and the furniture store as well”). The Big Cheese needs to get Dogzilla out of the city, but how?

Some individuals might find this book cheesy but I thought it was cute and funny. The book is packed with lots of dog references which some children might not understand or get. My three-year-old grandson didn’t understand all of them but he still liked the book. The pictures in the book are just as cute as the text. Fun, entertaining story. 4.5 stars

[Stephanie Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogzilla emerges from a volcano when he smells the scent of barbecue, and he heads towards the town of Mouseopolis accidentally destroying everything until The Big Cheese scares him away with the threat of something every dog hates- a bath. Dogzilla returns back to his home leaving Mouseopolis back to safety.

This would be a really great book to read in a 3rd or 4th grade class room especially if you are doing a writing mini-lesson about transition words or phrases. Almost every page in this book has a linking word or phrase such as "Afterword," or "Next". Dogzilla is a playful mentor text book that will help aid a lesson like that

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who enjoys dogs, cats, mices, rats, or any pets really, will enjoy this book.

It is effing brilliant! Seriously, a great book, the directing, photography, illustrations, and the story itself. And nearly every page has some kind of dad joke/pun in the text, and another visual dad joke in the illustration itself! Even the legal and preface pages are written in the same tone and style.
It's truly an amazing experience.

My ONLY gripe is the design and placement of some of the text. And that's being nitpicky.