My Dog Spot

by Jack E. Levin, Norma R. Levin, Mark R. Levin (Preface)

From Jack E. Levin, New York Times bestselling author of Malice Toward None , and his wife, Norma, comes a charming picture book about a boy and his beloved dog Spot.

White with black spots and a black circle around his left eye, Spot barks and chases cats and birds, chews on slippers and bones, and especially likes riding in the car with his head out the window. Jack E. Levin’s charming illustrations and sweet story is as heartwarming as it is timeless.

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

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Jack E. Levin (1925–2018) was the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Malice Toward None; George Washington: The Crossing; Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Illustrated; Proverbs for Young People; and Our Police. He was an author, artist, and small businessman, and was married to his wife, Norma, for sixty years.

Reviews

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy to read pet story about a dog named Spot. Although there isn't much of a story, the minimal text with the black, white, and red illustrations on brown will be appreciated by young dog owners. This simple picture book would also make a great template for students to create their own pet story.

[Bethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is an average, easy to read dog story with crisp, clean illustrations. Lost a star due to overly long preface and introduction by the authors and their famous talk show host son at the beginning of the book, which may turn off the intended audience of the book. Also, when a dog is "laughing" or yipping you need the double p, it's not spelled yiping!

[Lauren Kramer-Theuerkauf · Rating 3 out of 5]

My Dog Spot by Jack and Norma Levin introduces the reader to a young boy's dog named Spot. He has a black ring around his left eye along with large pointy ears and a very long tail. Spot is definitely unique.

This caring canine wears his heart on his fur. He uses his tail to show his emotions. Spot also loves to talk and talk.... There's so much to love about Spot!

I thought this was a fun read. The descriptions of Spot are easily attainable for young children. The story definitely brought back childhood memories of my first dog, Spots. A beautiful Border Collie, he was my best friend for numerous years before losing his battle with lymphoma.

I also love Jack Levin's gorgeous illustrations. They are large and often take up the entire page. I find that this works very well with the minimal text. I really like the illustrations where Spot's body spreads across both pages. The medium used reminds me of crayon drawings that I used to do as a child. I think that children will be drawn to the simply, yet striking images.

This is a wonderful read for children ages 4-8.

[Cat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice simple story based on a family dog. I needed some books on dogs for a preschool story time and this one fit the bill! Nice simple illustrations, simple sentences, nothing complicated. Just a pleasant story.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best for children under 5 I'd say. Great for reading to them since it's very short.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young boy tells the readers all about his dog Spot - what he likes to do and play, etc.
Most important the boy and his dog love each other.

[Sherry Scheline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the reviews and people grossly under appreciated the excellence of this book. I loved this little read.

[Nicole Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Dog Spot is a book based off of a true story based of of the author, Jack E. Levin wife Norma's dog named "Sporty". Sporty was a was a fox terrier who was not very large. He was full of energy and life. and was sweet as sugar. However, if he didn't like you he could be very mean. Norma would tell Jack of all their different ventures, that Jack soon came to know himself. Because sporty was such a character, Norma and Jack thought he would be the perfect subject for of a children's book, and there is where Spot was created. Spot is a dog who is white with black spots and has a black spot around his eye. He has pointed ears and a long tail and is medium sized. This story tells about the characteristics of spot and certain things that he likes, or does.

My Dog Spot is a perfect book for young readers. This book would be a good book for young readers to read because the text is easy to follow, repetitive, interactive, limited/simple text, it has a simple story line, and it is relatable. A good amount of children have dogs if not, have wanted a dog. My Dog Spot is narrated by a young boy who goes on and on about his dog spot and the things spot likes and tells about how he loves spot and spot loves him. This story has very simple vocabulary, which would make it easy for a young reader to be able to read this book by themselves. The illustrations also go along with the text in the book making it easy to fully understanding the deeper meaning of the story. All in all, I believe this would be a great book for early readers to be able to read by themselves.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is My Dog Spot by Jack E. Levin and Norma R. Levin, a simple yet lovely picture book about, you guessed it, a dog named Spot.

Written in the style of the traditional straight-forward informational children’s books, My Dog Spot is narrated by Spot’s boy, and introduces the pet and all his qualities and quirks page by page (for instance, that Spot is white with black spots, that he is larger than some dogs but smaller than others, that he has a food and water bowl).

Accompanying charming pastel illustrations of Spot and his escapades, the text is simple, timeless, and very easy to read aloud, and easy for even the youngest of readers to comprehend. The length is perfect, and JJ enjoyed it very much. This is a great book for beginning readers, whether being read to or beginning to read independently, and we liked it a lot! Baby Bookworm approved!

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The illustrations are simple, limited color. Paper-bag brown background is nice contrast to the white dog with black spots/eyes, and Spot's red name tag adds a touch of color.
The text is likewise simple, one simple sentence per page or spread out over two-page spreads.
The preface and introduction build up the anticipation to read the book, then the text felt a little disappointing after that.
This would be a fun book for beginning readers to practice fluency.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A celebration of Spot and the quirky things dogs do.

[Niki Marion · Rating 2 out of 5]

Adds nothing new to the array of dog books that have and will come out.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Completely unimaginative and quite lame.

[Bill · Rating 1 out of 5]

Never would have seen the light of day if it weren't the Levins behind it. And it shouldn't have.

[Liz Todd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Would be a good K-1 writing mentor. Some nice long, strong sentences. Good descriptions.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing special, but has nice short sentences for the Very Little Ones.

[Marcie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm just not sure I'd find a use for this. Could be a writing mentor or beginning reader, but I think there are better. Read the intro amd preface, but didn't make me like it any better.

[Mario · Rating 2 out of 5]

There wasn't any real purpose to it. It was dull. The preface and introductory was loads more interesting than the actual narrative.

[Qt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot and the pictures are simple, but pleasant. I found it enjoyable and I suspect I would have liked it when I was little, too.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for Dog Storytime - 09/24/2019