I Got Two Dogs: With Audio Recording

by John Lithgow, Robert Neubecker (Illustrator)

Overview

John Lithgow sings one of his most popular songs, "I Got Two Dogs," in this e-book edition.

The clever rhyming text tells of the narrator's two dogs who could not be more different—one is big, one is small, one barks quietly, while one has a loud and enthusiastic bark—but he loves them both the same. The bold graphic art style adds humor by revealing that the narrator's view of the dogs isn't exactly the way others might see them.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781416982937
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/20/2011
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

John Lithgow is the New York Times bestselling author of I Got Two Dogs; Mahalia Mouse Goes to College; Marsupial Sue Presents: The Runaway Pancake; I’m A Manatee; Micawber; Marsupial Sue; The Remarkable Farkle McBride; and Carnival of the Animals. An award-winning actor, he has starred on stage, film, and television. He performs concerts across the country and has recorded the CDs Farkle and Friends, Singin’ in the Bathtub, and The Sunny Side of the Street. Visit John at JohnLithgow.com.

Robert Neubecker is the award-winning author and illustrator of Linus the Vegetarian T. Rex and the Wow! series. He also illustrated Not Just the Driver! by Sara Holly Ackerman, Shiver Me Timbers! by Douglas Florian, Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth! by Sarah Weeks, I Got Two Dogs by John Lithgow, and Monsters on Machines by Deb Lund. A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Robert also illustrates for The New York Times and Slate magazine. He and his family live in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit Robert at Neubecker.com.

Editorial Reviews

Lithgow's (I'm a Manatee) singing tribute to a couple of canine ne'er-do-wells named Fanny and Blue strives for the kind of goofy, bouncy simplicity of Burl Ives's classic Little White Duck album. But as line upon line reiterates the dogs' gangly, insistent charms, song and text grow a little too familiar-even when Lithgow gooses the lyrics by turning words into howls ("They're not too smart,/ But they're loyal and true ooo ooo ooo ooo"). Neubecker (Wow! City!) fares much better: his boldly inked, maniacal cartoons capture the full measure of four-legged joie de vivre and remind readers why it's hard to stay mad at dogs for long-even when they rearrange sock drawers or share the joys of mud with startled bystanders. Ages 2-6. (Oct.)

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Publishers Weekly

PreS-Gr 1

This musical ode to two prized pooches packs a crowd-pleasing wallop of theatricality: "I got two dogs, Fanny and Blue./Bet you kind of wish you had two dogs too.... They're not too smart, but they're loyal and true-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo/Oh there's nothing I'd trade for my Fanny and Blue." Lithgow performs his catchy melody on the accompanying CD, complete with a back-up chorus, trilling flutes, and trumpets. The lyrics are translated clearly onto the book's pages and will send listeners into fits of giggles at each houndlike repetition of the "ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo" refrain. Neubecker's large, vibrant paintings perfectly capture the frenetic world of dog ownership, cheekily depicting a broader appreciation for each creature's personality than the verses alone provide. For example, "I got two dogs, Fanny and Blue./Always go together like a sock and shoe" is paired with a picture that reveals the two mutts using a sock and a shoe as chew toys. The illustration for "I walk 'em in the evening and the morning dew" shows the pups bounding after a very displeased cat with their leashes trailing behind. Sure to entice youngsters, this book will find a welcome home in storytime and circulating collections.-Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI

School Library Journal

Pooches are playful...and sorta crazy, too, but ya gotta love 'em. Simple, rhyming text looks like it's slapped haphazardly on the page with a paintbrush (it's hand-lettered). This matches the (hyper)activity of the narrator's two dogs, Fanny and Blue. Little Fanny is white and scruffy while short-haired Blue's "kinda gray." They play with shoes, chase cats, root around in dresser drawers but don't really like to fetch a stick or know any tricks. They do like to lick their master's face, tag along wherever he goes and, at night in bed, sleep right on top of him. Neubecker's digitally rendered illustrations capture the mischief and movement of the two pups in bold strokes. Tying everything together is a bonus CD of the text as performed by the author, and a good thing, too. Deathless verse this ain't; Lithgow's slight, amiable book works best as a read-along for his catchy song. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews