Dogs in Space

by Nancy Coffelt

Visit each of the planets with a zany pack of dogs as they launch the wildest tour of the Solar System ever. Whether playing hide-and-seek among Saturn's moons or spinning sideways on Uranus, these dogs have fun. Along the way the dogs (and readers) learn basic facts about the planets and how to identify each one.

Genres: Picture Books, Space, Childrens, Dogs, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1993

About the author

Nancy Coffelt is an author and artist from Portland, Oregon - best known for her work on childrens' and young adult books, including Fred Stays With Me and Listen.
She often features dogs in her work, and a lot of her stories revolve around dogs. Her art has been featured in galleries, and she illustrates several of her own books.

Reviews

[ke-sha]

This I love. Teaches kids the plants (Yes Pluto is still a planet in this book due to how old it is but I still believe that what they did to Pluto was messed up anyway #TeamPluto Lol) and has some good basic info with an adorable story.

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of dogs travel through space. Fun and whimsical. It's dated, but still enjoyable.

[Vang Xiong · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text is about a group of dogs, visiting outer space. I personally like this book because of the imaginary. The illustrations capture the text in a way that makes it engaging and fun to read. For example, the use of vibrant colors is inviting, and the touch of chalk-based material that is used to outline the dogs works well in contrasting the elements that are around them, such as planets, moon, etc. , making them, the center of attention. I also think it was brilliant that the color black is carpeted throughout the whole book. This draws the eyes into the very limited items pictured in the images. The story line is also very engaging. Not only do we get to explore space through a fictional lens, but we also get to learn basic facts about each planet and the solar system at large. I also enjoy the fact that there is a little text section on the bottom of the right hand corner on each page that foreshadows what is to come on. This is a great way to engage, and ask students questions. It is also a great way to have students to make predictions. Lastly, I find it beneficial that the images supported the text quite well, particularly in dismantling new words and concepts. For example, the word “gravity,” in itself, was defined through the illustrations.

[Mama Bibliosoph · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Dogs in Space, neon-colored, pastel-drawn dogs wear cartoonish space suits and glide through our planetary system against a spare and starry black background, trying out different planets as hangouts.

Dogs in space like space because "there are no cats in space" and "there are no fleas in space." Ultimately, though, they realize there are no warm laps or dog bones to be had, and they journey home to Earth.

The dogs visit the planets in order from the Sun, starting with Mercury. A fact about each planet is communicated in a silly way the dogs experience their visit (i.e."The Sun is so strong that dogs in space need sunglasses."). Because this book was published in the 90s, Pluto is included.

Dogs in Space is sadly out of print and my library didn't have it in their collection, but I was able to easily find an inexpensive used copy online.

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I review children's books from the perspective of a parent of two kids with autism. This review is part of a list of 20 recommended picture books with space themes for autistic kids, which can be found on my blog: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/20-pic...

[Briony Furness · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book places a fun and whimsical twist on learning about space. It would be a great addition to any elementary school level classroom library, especially because it has facts about space and these types of books are usually limited. Reading this took me on a journey through space and I learned a lot about the planets! Looking at the cover of this book I was not expecting much. It seemed dark and cheap looking but the contents were pleasantly surprising. I also really enjoyed how, at the very end of the book, there were facts about each of the planets. Around the facts were continuations of drawings from the story. I believe that this book could attract some fans if it were a part of my classroom library. I could read this book to my class when doing a lesson on space and it would spark their interest on the topic.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

My son absolutely loves this book, and I can see why: he likes space and it’s one of the rare playful books on the subject. My problem is having to read the highly repetitive text aloud every day. It does a good job of conveying a fact about every planet in memorably silly ways (the dogs sneeze red dust on Mars, spin sideways on Uranus, wear sweaters on Neptune), but I definitely do a lot of on-the-fly rewording.

[David Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very cute, short read-aloud that kids can enjoy and it's great for calming kids down from recess or for introducing a topic to a class subtly or explicitly.

[Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

We picked this book up from our local library.

Cute book, the pictures go great with the story being told. Even though they do look like they were drawn with a crayon. It does rhyme which is cool if you like to rhyme. You get to follow the dogs as they visit each planet and you learn which ones are hot, cold, dusty and what not. It kept K entertained because he does like to read about planets. I really enjoyed The Solar System Tour at the end of the book which gives you information about the Solar System. Pretty good read overall.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A trippy crayon tour of the solar system that I badly wanted to like, this creative attempt to combine science (via an appendix of planetary facts) and fantasy (dogs in helmets and jet packs "shed hair in zero gravity"!) is weird at best, confusing at worst. Plus, without an updated edition: Houston, we have a Pluto problem.

[Meg McGregor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, this was another book that I really wanted to like more than I did.

The information is great. It is just the illustrations are not that good at all.

Now, I can't draw and I admire the people who can. I just think more whimsical and realistic drawings of dogs would add to the fun of this book.

This is not one I will pick up again any time soon.

[Ayoca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book can be used for k-4 to teach about the Solar System. Can be used to teach about all different types of dogs that went to the different planets in space. All the dogs explained how the planets were after visiting them.

[Amanda Walz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute fantasy book to read to children learning about space and planets. The dogs fly through space and visit each planet in order from the sun. It's a funny idea, dogs in space, and it has rich colors on a black background.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to use this for an outer space storytime, but its a bit dated now.

[Iggylizard · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is cute. It talks about the planets and gives a small fact about each planet from a dog’s point of view. My only MAJOR complaint about this book is that it is older and lists Pluto as the ninth planet.