Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Go, new readers. Go!
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
What's the Story?
Dogs of all combinations and colors -- even green! -- are on the go here. They're up, down, going around in a Ferris wheel, working, playing ball, diving in water, hitting tennis balls atop a big balloon, and driving all over town in perfectly petite cars. The suspense builds as a troop of cars speeds toward a mysterious tree. At the top of the tree a big dog party is in full swing. "What a dog party!" It prompts a pink poodle to don a party hat flamboyant enough to finally impress the finicky yellow dog.
Is It Any Good?
This is a total gem of a book for kids getting ready to read. There's no break in the action, lots of visual cues (can't miss the green dog on the yellow tree), and plenty of silliness to keep kids going. It's hard to resist shouting, "I do not like that hat! Good-by!"
Kids may not read all 64 pages the first time out, but since the words repeat and build on each other it's an easy confidence builder to add words every day. And the big reward: "A dog party! A big dog party!" And of course one outrageous party hat.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about where the dogs go: up, down, over, under, around and around, and around again. Write these great words out on a chalkboard or a big piece of posterboard and cut out pictures of animals or people going in all different directions.
What's fun about a book with dog characters? Do you think the cake they eat would taste yummy or like dog food?
Why do you think the yellow dog doesn't like most of the pink poodle's hats? Do you think the yellow dog is being nice or a rude when he says he doesn't like them?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : P. D. Eastman
- Genre : For Beginning Readers
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Random House Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : March 12, 1961
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 7
- Number of pages : 72
- Available on : Nook, Hardback, Kindle
- Last updated : October 1, 2025
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate