Bailey at the Museum

Bailey the Dog

by Harry Bliss, Kirby Heyborne (Narrator)

Bailey is very excited about the school trip to the Museum of Natural History. After all, he loves to dig up bones even more than an archeologist! And besides bones, there's lots of fun to be had with tepees, totem poles, and dinosaur skeletons. Bailey's classmates never know what will happen next: maybe that's why the museum guard becomes Bailey's special partner.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Dinosaurs, Museums, Childrens, Humor, Fiction

Audio CD

First published September 1, 2012

About the author

Harry Bliss grew up in upstate New York in a family of successful painters and illustrators, so it wasn’t any surprise that he, too, went on to study painting at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and illustration at the University of the Arts and Syracuse University. He has illustrated numerous book covers and is a cartoonist and cover artist for THE NEW YORKER magazine. In the tradition of so many NEW YORKER cartoonists, Harry Bliss has illustrated several children’s books, among them A FINE, FINE SCHOOL by Sharon Creech, WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER BE? by William Steig, and COUNTDOWN TO KINDERGARTEN by Alison McGhee.

Reviews

[Maryam · Rating 2 out of 5]

My kindergarten students were under-whelmed. Maybe a 1st or 2nd grade class would have appreciated it more. I was not as happy with this book as with the first Bailey. I think there was a little too much grown-up humor in the speech bubbles. And even though I know that's what I initially appreciated about Bliss's first Bailey, there was something a little "too-too" about it in the museum book.

[Riana (RianaInTheStacks) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to read Bailey at the Museum, considering my dog’s name is Bailey and is even of similar height and coloring as Bailey in the book, though without the spots. In this Bailey book, Bailey’s class goes on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History. While there, Bailey doesn’t quite seem to get that it’s not a hands-on (or paws-on, or even teeth-on) exhibit. He gets caught up in exploring each stop and causes some problems. Well, my Bailey also likes to explore through chewing and putting his paws on everything so I can see this as quite a similar reaction to how he would act in a Museum in some respects. However, the book wasn’t very funny or endearing or particularly educational or quirky so overall I wouldn’t say it’s one of my more favorite picture books and I wouldn’t choose it to read to a group of a kids. If I thought they would like a book about dogs, there are many other dog books I would go to first, particularly with all the Clifford books and with books like Harry the Dirty Dog, a personal favorite. 2/5 stars for me on this one.
★★☆☆☆

[Sunah Chung · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bailey the Dog was excited to go on a museum field trip. The museum guide and the guard were friendly for the students and Bailey.
The overall story of this book was touring the Museum of Natural History. The story and illustrations reflected traditional field trips. For instance, students were in line and thought about the displayed dinosaurs or totem pole instead of questioning and answering, or exploring the sections each child is interested in. Children’s speech bubbles were also one-way interaction. That is, one or two children commented on their opinions or responses on the displayed arts in speech bubbles, and there was no interaction between peers or the guide. It must be effective for a tour guide providing information, but the illustrations imply that students do not ask questions about the provided information although they have different thoughts and feelings. This book would be fun to read, but I am concerned about the underlying implications of good manners regarding museum tours.

[Sirah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailey the dog is back again. This time he's not just getting ready for school: he's going on a field trip to the natural history museum. Being a dog doesn't make it easy to walk into a room full of bones, but Bailey does his best to follow the rules and learn along with the children of his class.

I want to give this one a fair review, but my first impression was a bit tainted by the fact that the copy I picked up had obviously been through a lot and was damaged to the point of being almost illegible at times. That has nothing to do with the overall quality of the storytelling, but as I'm writing this, I'm trying to remember anything unique or inspiring about this book, and all I'm coming up with is a few humorous moments--two specifically. I think in the right context, this could be a fun read. It would be a fun introduction to field trips, for example, and what not to do, but I was hoping for something more memorable.

[Nichole · Rating 4 out of 5]

If your kid likes Curious George, I think they'll also like Bailey. This is a fun book about a dog who goes to school like a normal child and today they're at the museum. I think my favorite thing about this book is the thought bubbles from the people around Bailey. It's almost always positive or unrelated. I think it'll help reinforce to children that not everyone is thinking about them all the time or thinking about them negatively all the time.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was a fun school visit to the museum. I haven't read any of the other books in the series but apparently Bailey the dog is a student at the school? That was a bit weird. I get it was a fun way to have kids read about going to the museum. An enjoyable kids book, I thought Bailey & the security guard were cute. The anthropomorphic dog was a bit interesting? But I did enjoy.
Bought for Ben & Nick

[Johnny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story in this book is cute and the illustrations combine realism and cartoon styles well, but that's about it. The text is relatively simple, but there are some vocabulary words that might trip up a beginning reader. For children who love the character, Bailey, from the first book, this might have appeal, but it's nothing super special on its own.

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is like a calm Curious George. Bailey the dog goes with his school class (who are people, not animals) to the natural history museum. There are a few silly moments, but it's mostly just a walk through the museum.

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never trust a dog around bones . . . even 65 million-year-old bones.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailey joins the class for a trip to the museum. Can he be a good dog, or a normal dog?

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story, perfect to fit into New York week for story time. Bailey is a cute dog that kids will enjoy, and I liked the comic-style hybrid with the speech bubbles.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 2 out of 5]

First read of 2022. This was an ok read. There were some chuckles but not much of a story.

[June · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailey's class goes to the museum and a guard is assigned to try and keep him in line.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailey is a likable dog, the only non-human student in Mrs. Smith's elementary school class. In this book, the class takes a field trip to a natural history museum. Bailey is very excited about the field trip, but early on he becomes a bit too interested in the dinosaur bones, starts to chew on them, and is assigned a new "buddy", a museum security guard. From there on, Bailey is very well-behaved, and the guard likes him very much. When Bailey takes a quick nap in a teepee, he and the guard become separated from the rest of the group. Bailey finds the way back to the group by following the scent of Tommy's socks, Sophie's bubble gum, and Mrs. Smith's perfume.

The text is simple and straightforward, but much more is added to the story through thought and speech bubbles, incorporating the points of view of Bailey, the other children, the teacher, the guard, the museum tour guide, and the other people in the museum. The illustrations are very good, in the style of a cartoon or graphic novel, and full of detail. Bailey mostly walks upright on his hind legs, but sometimes walks on all fours and never actually speaks. His thought bubbles are wonderful: he wonders if the clown fish miss the circus, if a dream catcher also catches squirrels, etc.

There is so much detail in the illustrations, and so many thought and speech bubbles, that a child could happily return to this book over and over again. Recommended!

(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Scholastic!)

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this one even more than the first Bailey book, it was just really cute. Bailey's personality came across more in this one and the situations he got into seemed funnier to me. There were just so many opportunities to highlight how Bailey was different from the other children in the class in cute ways. I really liked when they learned about dream catchers and Bailey wondered if they could help him with his squirrel problem, as a dog companion myself, I know how much that rivalry can be worrisome to a pooch. And then little twist at the end made it super sweet.

I do think there are a few missed opportunities in the books in the details. Like on the bus when the girl is reading some books and the titles are, "A Book," by Author, and, "Another Book," by Different Author. And there were some comics on the page before that just weren't cute. It might have been nice if the space was used to make a few jokes or just seemed more relevant. I did think it was cute that the security guard was reading a book called, "Guarding Stuff: Don't Touch." I know that when I was a kid I'd pour over every detail of beautiful books that I liked, so all of those little details shouldn't be throw-away moments.

But my suggestions are a small thing, not to take away from the very large achievement that this lovely and very charming book is. It's definitely one of the first one's I grab as a gift for preschool or elementary school kids, it's just so cute and funny.

[Kylie]

Summary:
“Bailey at the Museum,” is an adventurous book for elementary children. Bailey is the only dog is class and she’s excited for their class field trip. Their class is heading to the Museum of Natural History. Once their class is at the Museum Bailey learns quick on how to act inside a museum. She even gets partnered up with a special security guard. Bailey has fun discovering new things inside the museum as well as making new friends.

Audience:
This book would be great for children preparing to take class field trips and learning how to behave.

Appeal:
Why this book is a good fit for children attending field trips is because this book gives many great examples on how to act in a museum with your class. The book teaches children that field trips can be fun and safe once following the rules.

Implementation:
I would incorporate this book in my lesson plans if I were to take my class on a field trip. We would read the book and discuss the ways in which Bailey acted and how it is expected to act once the class is on the field trip.

Source:
Bliss, H. (2012). Bailey at the museum. New York: Scholastic Press.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

1. Rating: 4
2. A book review by Publisher's Weekly says, "Precocious, school-going dog Bailey joins his human classmates on a field trip to the Museum of Natural History in his second picture book. As the class observes a dinosaur exhibits, Bailey gets distracted by T. rex bones. An understanding museum guard swoops in (“I think he’s hungry. I feel his tummy growling,” he reports), and the two become friends. Bliss strikes a note of hilarity with the combination of serious museum decorum and Bailey’s inability to follow the rules, while dialogue balloons and visual details create a busy, engrossing environment. The tender relationship between Bailey and the steadfast guard is the heart of this light, funny story."
3. This is a good book about a young puppy and his classmates taking a trip to a museum. It is another good one to teach students about thinking bubbles versus talking bubbles and it could lead to more discussions about certain things they see around the museum. The illustrations are very colorful and provide good picture support for the readers. I would recommend this book to a second grader.

[Mattie Weck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book and its characters (especially Bailey-the dog) very charming. My first thought after reading was that it would be a good read for students before attending a class field trip, specifically a museum visit, in order to open discussion about appropriate behavior. The text includes both thought and dialogue bubbles which could potentially be tricky for a read-aloud. However, this would be great as an independent read for a second grade classroom. In this instance, the dialogue bubbles create simple text rather than lengthy paragraphs for easier understanding of conversations between the characters. The illustrations compliment the text well and would offer support for students when reading on their own. The simple text allows students to confidently develop their independent reading skills. I really like that many of the characters are shown reading, because it creates a positive connection between the reader and what is occurring in the story.

[Marissa Reyes]

The piece of writing Bailey at the Museum by Harry Bliss is a well written children's book because it gives kids in the classroom, who have never been exposed to a Museum, the opportunity to see that a Museum has the ability to freeze history in time in order to teach children what they would not learn in the four walls of a classroom. The illustrations are creative and let the children's imagination run wild as it feeds off children's humor. A prime example is when Bailey begins to chew on the dinosaurs back bone in which would cause the young readers to burst out in laughter. My favorite part of the book was the conversations between the individuals in the story so instead of having a long paragraph of he said she said; the child can visually see who is saying what and to who.

[Maddypictures · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailey the dog is excited to head out to the Natural Science museum on a school field trip. He's a bit naughty (goes to chew on a dinosaur bone!) but pulls himself together by the end of the story and saves the day by sniffing out the rest of the group when they get lost. The thing that struck me the most about this book were all the characters who loved to read! All the kids are reading graphic novels and comic books on the bus ride. Even the museum guard whips out a book about how to guard things during his lunch break. Easy to read with large illustrations and clear speech bubbles, this is a nice selection for kids who aren't quite ready for graphic novels yet.

[Courtney Angelo]

This book was very playful! I enjoyed hearing the adventure of Bailey and the guard. This book is enjoyable for children because it brings one of children's favorite pets to life. I like that it addresses the lesson of behaving at important places like museums, and knowing to be respectful. Often times, children misbehave in the wrong place because they don't know any better. I would enjoy bringing this into the classroom because it would be easy-going and silly for the children. Fun illustrations too!

[Rosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailey and his class go on a class trip to the museum. How it is that Bailey (who is a puppy and does walk on four leg) became part of a human class must be from a previous book. There are all kinds of funny and silly visual jokes that I think will make kids love this. Bailey makes a new friend in the security guard. I think this is best for one on one sharing b/c there are lots of side conversations and thought bubbles that would be awkward for group read aloud.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bailey the dog goes on a school trip to the Museum of Natural History and causes a little chaos. This would be a great book to share with early elementary classes getting ready to go on a field trip, especially to a museum. The text/story covers some of the dos and don'ts of field trips and incorporates a lot of humor. Illustrations contain many speech/thought bubbles giving the story a comic book feel. Fun read aloud.

[Ariel Cummins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailey, the very mischievous dog, goes with his class to the natural history museum. He tries really hard to be good, but its so hard! He gets in the usual trouble, but he learns stuff and makes a friend or two in the process. Fun and funny, with lots of jokes, word play, and sight gags.

Bright, cartoony art compliments the story without overwhelming it.

This could definitely be a fun read for slightly older kiddos.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always on the lookout for cute picture books which take place in a museum. I rather liked this one, where a young dog named Bailey goes with his elementary school class to the Natural History Museum (the Smithsonian one is still one of my favorite museums) and gets to see dinosaur bones, cave men, and Native American exhibits. He makes a friend and gets a gift. Recommended for ages 4-7, 4 stars.

[Kristen Dota · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I thought it was creative how the author used comic bubbles to tell half the story has well as the original text of the story. This is a perfect book for all classrooms since they will be going on field trips of their very own and it is important to know the rules in order to be safe. This book was very humorous and also I found myself learning as if I was actually there in the museum with them. Great book!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Harry Bliss first introduced readers to the school loving pooch in Bailey laughter was the main event. In this title Bailey goes to the Museum of Natural History with humor prevalent in text and illustrations.

My full review:
http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Peacegal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars -- This book does not star the Bailey I know--a cross-eyed and frequently drooling Siamese cat--but rather a cute little cartoon dog. This book was very nicely illustrated (the dinosaurs especially so). I was also impressed that a children's book had the guts to show a museum chart depicting evolution--good for them.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations in this book are so cute, the story almost doesn't matter. PrK-2 will love this story of Bailey, the school going dog, as he visits the nAtural History Museum with his class. He tries to behave, but his natural dog instincts kick in. Reminds me of Curious George a bit with his mischievous curiosity. A fun read aloud.

[Taylor Brune · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bailey at the Museum is a great book for 1st and 2nd graders. There is a small amount of text on each page, with great illustrations. It shows how Bailey is different from his other classmates (he is a dog and they are not), but does a great job at showing how everyone accepts him, despite his differences.