Name That Dog

by Peggy Archer, Stephanie Buscema (Illustrator)

Got a new puppy and need to find the perfect name? In twenty-six poems, told from A to Z, meet dogs of every type and personality imaginable. Does the puppy love to nap in the flowers? Name her Daisy! Maybe the puppy slips his collar. He's Houdini! And don't forget Melody, a dog who howls and croons to any kind of music. For pet owners and dog lovers alike, this funny, rhyming collection will be sure to inspire love and laughs for any puppy personality.

Genres: Poetry, Picture Books, Animals, Dogs, Childrens, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Peggy Archer grew up in Gary, Indiana with one sister and two brothers. She liked riding her bike in the summer and ice skating in the winter. She liked reading all year long. She enjoyed writing as a child, but it was not until she had children of her own that she began to write with the thought of being published.

Peggy writes fiction, poetry and non-fiction for children. A HIPPY-HOPPY TOAD, won the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) Work-in-Progress award for picture book text. TURKEY SURPRISE was a NY Times bestseller.
Coming from LBYR, August 2026! THREE LITTLE WITCHES AND THE SPOOKY OLD HOUSE

When she is not writing she enjoys reading mysteries, doing puzzles, walking, line dancing, and spending time with her family.

She and her husband have six children and twelve grandchildren. A retired registered nurse and native Hoosier from Indiana, she now lives with her husband in O’Fallon, Missouri where she writes full time.

Read more about Peggy and her books on her website at www.PeggyArcher.com.

Reviews

[Donalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

These 26 poems--spanning dog names from A to Z--celebrate the appearance, personalities, and talents of 26 different dogs.

[Shala Howell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the Five-Year-Old thought: "It was naming dogs. It was so very very very good."

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

You don't have to be a dog lover to appreciate the pups and their monikers in this fun book of poems about, what else, perfect names for you favorite K-9. Snickers would have to be my favorite.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Students love trying to guess what each dog's name will be and the reason why.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't know what to name your dog? Well, here are 26 ideas A to Z in poetic form.

There are actually 28 poems in this. There's one at the start and one at the finish about some ideas for where to get a pet name and eventually telling readers not to sweat it too much. Each poem is a quick read and effectively communicate why each dog received that name. Sometimes it fits their looks, for others their attitudes, or even their abilities. The dog breed on each page is also identified so kids get to learn different breed names along the way too. The poems used are mostly rhyming with a few other forms thrown in so this is also a nice picture book to use for poetry units. And of course, hand this to your favorite dog lover.

[Ms. Layton + the Fearless Leaders · Rating 5 out of 5]

They talk about dogs, and dogs are impressive, and they protect people when they're in danger. - SA

One of the dogs knew a talent that he could tell when it was going to rain because it was thundering. - AR

I liked it because it rhymes like Cat in the Hat, and I liked the doggies. - KE

I like it because they are giving names for dogs. - EAV

I like it because it's kind of funny, and it rhymes really well. - ICB

It was a really good book. I loved all the dogs and rhyming. The colors brought out a lot of dogs. - YMP

I liked it because of the chihuahua. - AG

I really liked the book because it gave you a lot of information about dogs. - AM

[Jennifer Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Shaggy puppies, waggy puppies. Each one needs a name. So jump into the alphabet and pick a puppy name!" (Selection of intro poem)
•
Twenty-six pups are given names as readers are taken through the alphabet. Also, on each page is a poem that goes along with the themed name and personality of the dog.
•
Most poems are short enough for the youngest reader's attention span, and the doggies are super adorable and so many different breeds are pictured. Dog lovers will definitely enjoy this unique alphabet book.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking to get rid of this one, then I read it to my kids. Nope. Keeping it. They were delighted with almost every poem. It started all sorts of discussions and led to additional research about a variety of dog breeds. Plus, it's poetry. A wonderful thing to be exposed to. It must be noted, however, that this book did not inspire me to get a dog.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An alphabet of dog names that also features a different dog breed, but the dog breeds are not alphabetical.

Fun, short poems that are stories of different dogs. Perfect for animal lovers!

No content issues.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of poems from A to Z written based on how to name your puppy. Personality, looks, and the breed and behavior of different dogs are used to select the names for the puppies used in this delightful book.

[Melissa Mangrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kiddo and I loved this book! It’s full of cute, snappy, fun to read out loud poems. Each page is a new poem about yet another adorable dog. Fun illustrations too. A great book to read again and again!

[Kimberly Monaghan]

This is a book I love for many reasons. https://loom.ly/WN7O8Ko

[Taylor Boik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Name that dog by Peggy Archer is a very colorful poetry book that could also double up as an ABC book. Name that dog goes through all the letters of the alphabet by naming different dogs that start with that letter and creates a little poem for each dog explaining what each dog is like. When you first pick up the book you would have no idea that it is a poetry book.

To start off this book has a lot of rhyming in it which leads me to believe it to be a poetry book. Something that I noticed when I was reading through the book was the relationship between the illustrations and text. I noticed that without the illustrations you wouldn't get a very clear picture of what the dog looked like or what the dog was doing like the picture showed. Another thing that I noticed was each different poem had a different rhyme scheme which kept the book fun and interactive.

[Neha Amin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: This a very enjoyable and entertaining poetry collection. The poems are from A-Z. The poems are about different dogs. There is one poem per page and it also features a picture of the particular dog. The names of the kind of dog is even written on the bottom. That helps a lot since I am unfamiliar with dog types.

Chosen Poem: Elvis( The poem is about a Cocker Spaniel.)

He wiggles and jiggles
and dances around.
He swings to the music
with a rock'n' roll sound.
His ears look like sideburns.
His fur's long and black.
And sometimes I wonder
if Elvis is back!

[Karen Arendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adorable collection of rhyming poems about dogs. The poems are presented in alphabetical order by the pet names given to dogs. The breed name is noted at the bottom of each poem. This would be a great book to introduce poetry or dogs. It would also be a great way to introduce research about dog breeds. Students could select a dog breed, find 3-5 facts about the dog, then choose a name for their breed.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good ABC book if the child loves dogs. Some of the poems were fun and seemed to speak the dogs' personalities. A couple didn't get to me. And some were interesting poetry forms that still worked well. The illustrations fit the poems. And I wouldn't mind meeting some of those dogs.

For a good variety of poetry and with subjects (dogs and names and ABC) familiar to children, I can see why this is a nominee.

[Laura Madsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

An A-to-Z collection of poems, each describing a particular dog and its name. It's a neat concept, and some of the poems are quite cute, like "Noodles" the poodle:

All over my puppy
are oodles and oodles
of swirls of fat curls that
remind me of noodles.

However the illustrations are of a disturbingly freaky nature. The Boston terrier looks like an abused gremlin and the Chihuahua looks like a rabid bat.

[Marcie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Easy to read poems. One page for each breed with a name from Aspen (Lab- incidentally the most common pet in the USA to Zipper (Dutch Smoushond- I never heard of it either). My favorite is Melody (the melodious Basset Hound). Although the writing is not pitch perfect, kids will enjoy finding and reading their pets and may get some ideas for names.

[Bethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the "dog name A-Z" for each poem a bit gimmicky - some of the poems were awkward in the rhythm and rhyme schemes and seemed forced. Some of the poems were just fine like "Chewy". The illustrations were strange and didn't look like the breed listed at the bottom of the page (doberman pinscher and beagle), although I did appreciate the nod to some lesser known breeds.

[Carrie]

These poems were all pretty funny. There is every dog imaginable in every poem and they all were named depending on their personalities. There was a dog who loved to sleep in the flowers so they named her Daisy. I thought it was a creative way to express different dog types. Children would definitely have fun listening and reading these!

[Jennifer Lavoie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun book of rhymes for dog names that also gives breeds. I thought it would be a fun activity to do with my second graders - have them make a poem about their pet. A fun way to teach poetry. And for the younger students its a silly book. I like that not all common breeds are used and some unusual breeds are. Makes it more interesting.

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Name That Dog" is just a poetry book about dogs names A to Z. I guess if your looking for a dog name you could read the poems and see what name fits your dog. If your looking for a short poetry book this is the one and it's not stupid just because it's about dogs names.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always personally felt like many dogs resembled their owners or had a very distinct personality that is manifested in their physical appearance...this books proves my theories absolutely correct. Extremely delightful book of children's poetry about dogs...in all their variety and glory!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are so many names you can give a dog. In this story, the author creates a name and a personality for 26 different dogs. Each dogs name begins with a different letter of the alphabet and their personality and characteristics also begin with that same letter.

[Jaime Grande · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and fun read. I love how every poem is tied to the characteristics of dogs. Every poem reminded me of a dog I've known. This is a good read aloud and a great way to have students get into poetry writing.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasant diversion of collected poems about different breeds of dogs. Dog lovers and poets will enjoy equally.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We enjoyed reading this A to Z poetry book about dog names.

[Sharie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poetry!
A to Z!
Creative!

[Kim Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I Love that all of these poems are centered around dogs. Each poem is about a different breed. I used a poem from this text for my phonics "ing" lesson.

[Sarah Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This poetry book includes a poem for different dogs with names A-Z. Each poem is based on that dogs' silly characteristics. Children would love the repeating and rhyming.