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Dreams #1
Doodle Dog
Sam knew he couldn't have a real dog of his own, but his mum drew him a picture - a 'Doodle' she called it - of a beautiful black and white puppy. Sam took it bed with him that night. The next morning he was woken by a strange tickly feeling on his cheek. Even before he opened his eyes he knew it was 'Doodle Dog'.
- GenresPicture Books
30 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 1990
About the author
Frank Rodgers
126 books9 followersA childhood passion for books, radio and cinema set Frank Rodgers on the road to being a writer and artist. Today, he is the author/illustrator of almost fifty books for children, covering a wide age range from picture books through books for older readers to a novel for teenagers.
As a child, Frank Rodgers was impressed by Frank Hampson's drawings for the original Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future strips and Mervyn Peake's illustrations for Treasure Island. At school, he was generally in the market to swap things for American comics. Inspired by radio shows like The Goons and Journey Into Space, he wrote plays and pressganged family and friends into the cast. Already, he was thinking up - and drawing - all kinds of characters.
He studied Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art and became an Art Teacher, in his spare time writing pop songs and two stage musicals. His first foray into publishing was as an illustrator of other writers’ work, most notably Humphrey Carpenter’s Mr Majeika books. In 1987, he left teaching to become a full-time writer and illustrator.
Many of Frank’s books have been published in Europe and the US. Described by Scottish Book Trust as 'one of Scotland’s best-loved author/illustrators', he has been a tutor on the Arvon Foundation’s Writing for Children course. Frank enjoys putting on his Ray-bans and either pounding out rock ‘n’ roll on his piano or playing blues guitar.
As a child, Frank Rodgers was impressed by Frank Hampson's drawings for the original Dan Dare: Pilot of the Future strips and Mervyn Peake's illustrations for Treasure Island. At school, he was generally in the market to swap things for American comics. Inspired by radio shows like The Goons and Journey Into Space, he wrote plays and pressganged family and friends into the cast. Already, he was thinking up - and drawing - all kinds of characters.
He studied Silversmithing and Jewellery at Glasgow School of Art and became an Art Teacher, in his spare time writing pop songs and two stage musicals. His first foray into publishing was as an illustrator of other writers’ work, most notably Humphrey Carpenter’s Mr Majeika books. In 1987, he left teaching to become a full-time writer and illustrator.
Many of Frank’s books have been published in Europe and the US. Described by Scottish Book Trust as 'one of Scotland’s best-loved author/illustrators', he has been a tutor on the Arvon Foundation’s Writing for Children course. Frank enjoys putting on his Ray-bans and either pounding out rock ‘n’ roll on his piano or playing blues guitar.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 16, 2015
(I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Hungry Horse and NetGalley.)
This was a cute children’s story about a boy who wants a dog, but has to make do with a drawing of a dog. Using his imagination they have a wonderful time together, and the boy isn’t bitter about the fact that Doodle isn’t a real dog. The illustrations are also really cute.
8 out of 10.
This was a cute children’s story about a boy who wants a dog, but has to make do with a drawing of a dog. Using his imagination they have a wonderful time together, and the boy isn’t bitter about the fact that Doodle isn’t a real dog. The illustrations are also really cute.
8 out of 10.
December 9, 2019
Quite sad that the little boy only got a dog in his imagination!
July 10, 2015
Please meet Sam. He is an adorable little boy whose heart's desire is to own his own dog. His mother does not concur as they live on the fifth floor of an apartment building with no garden. She gently tells Sam it would be unkind to the dog to live there. She encourages him to draw a picture of a canine he would like instead and she helps him out to make the dog look a bit more realistic than what he could manage on his own. They work on the picture project together until both are happy with the results bringing a smile of contentment to their faces. Sam lovingly takes his masterpiece to bed with him when it's time and and places it lovingly beside him on his comforter.
Magic surreptitiously arrives and mysteriously Doodle the dog becomes a reality. He happily licks Sam awake to greet him and together they run off into the day to play, explore and enjoy each other's company. Is Doodle real or a figment of Sam's imagination? Will the magic be permanent or reverse itself and reduce Doodle to a 2-D image on Sam's piece of paper once again? Has Sam finally gotten the dog he has been dreaming of and can he actually keep him forever?
The coloured-pencil illustrations are soft, muted and retro looking. Each is packed full of detail, action and emotion. The overall vibe of the book is happy, loving and very kid-friendly. Both young and old will love the simplicity of the book augmented by the appealing illustrations. I highly, highly recommend this book.
Magic surreptitiously arrives and mysteriously Doodle the dog becomes a reality. He happily licks Sam awake to greet him and together they run off into the day to play, explore and enjoy each other's company. Is Doodle real or a figment of Sam's imagination? Will the magic be permanent or reverse itself and reduce Doodle to a 2-D image on Sam's piece of paper once again? Has Sam finally gotten the dog he has been dreaming of and can he actually keep him forever?
The coloured-pencil illustrations are soft, muted and retro looking. Each is packed full of detail, action and emotion. The overall vibe of the book is happy, loving and very kid-friendly. Both young and old will love the simplicity of the book augmented by the appealing illustrations. I highly, highly recommend this book.
July 10, 2015
Adorably sweet story, suitable for preschoolers.
Tom really wants a dog, but his mum says no - they live in a flat. Instead he draws his ideal dog... and seems to bring him to life! Tom and Doodle Dog have lots of fun together. WIll you guess the ending?
I did think this was remarkably similar to A Dog So Small by Philippa Pearce to begin with (wanting the dog, can't have one, dreaming of it), but Rogers took the story in a different direction.
We liked the adventures Tom has with Doodle Dog, and I liked the ending, which for me (it's his imaginings) is more realistic than the Snowdog version - it came to life / Mum gets him one. Tom is still happy to play with his dream dog, even though we all know it's just in his imagination. Arrrrrrr.
A lovely way to talk to your child about imagination and about not getting what you want, but being able to dream about it anyway and still enjoy it.
The illustrations are lovely. Sometimes there is a little imbalance of text between pages, for smaller children it may encourage them to drift off, but my son at 4 was able to concentrate through the whole thing. He loved Doodle Dog (the name and the drawing), and it's nice being able to tell him that not everyone can have a pet, but CAN use their imagination.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
Tom really wants a dog, but his mum says no - they live in a flat. Instead he draws his ideal dog... and seems to bring him to life! Tom and Doodle Dog have lots of fun together. WIll you guess the ending?
I did think this was remarkably similar to A Dog So Small by Philippa Pearce to begin with (wanting the dog, can't have one, dreaming of it), but Rogers took the story in a different direction.
We liked the adventures Tom has with Doodle Dog, and I liked the ending, which for me (it's his imaginings) is more realistic than the Snowdog version - it came to life / Mum gets him one. Tom is still happy to play with his dream dog, even though we all know it's just in his imagination. Arrrrrrr.
A lovely way to talk to your child about imagination and about not getting what you want, but being able to dream about it anyway and still enjoy it.
The illustrations are lovely. Sometimes there is a little imbalance of text between pages, for smaller children it may encourage them to drift off, but my son at 4 was able to concentrate through the whole thing. He loved Doodle Dog (the name and the drawing), and it's nice being able to tell him that not everyone can have a pet, but CAN use their imagination.
Review of a Netgalley advance copy.
June 1, 2015
We received this book via NetGalley to give an honest review.
K and I really enjoyed this book especially the imagination the boy has. Sam wants a dog but his mother says they can't have one because they do not have a garden and it wouldn't be right. So with the help of his mother they draw a dog which Sam names Doodle. The next morning Doodle is there and Sam and him go on an adventure to a barn and help wrangle in sheep. The pictures are cute and bring the story to life. The only reason I am giving this book a 4 star rating instead of a 5 like I was hoping is the way it looks on my kindle. Some pictures are put right in the middle of a sentence, one page had part of the sentence at the end so I had to re-read a couple of times as it sounded funny and then I saw it. Also before a picture is added the sentence should finish and then add it in. Other than that it was a wonderful story that kids will truly enjoy.
K and I really enjoyed this book especially the imagination the boy has. Sam wants a dog but his mother says they can't have one because they do not have a garden and it wouldn't be right. So with the help of his mother they draw a dog which Sam names Doodle. The next morning Doodle is there and Sam and him go on an adventure to a barn and help wrangle in sheep. The pictures are cute and bring the story to life. The only reason I am giving this book a 4 star rating instead of a 5 like I was hoping is the way it looks on my kindle. Some pictures are put right in the middle of a sentence, one page had part of the sentence at the end so I had to re-read a couple of times as it sounded funny and then I saw it. Also before a picture is added the sentence should finish and then add it in. Other than that it was a wonderful story that kids will truly enjoy.
September 28, 2015
Lovely.
A great picture book with all the imagination a youngster needs and a special dog to cherish, too!
Sam would love a dog and works with his mum to draw Doodle Dog, putting the lovely picture on his bed at night. Sams wakes to find Doodle Dog ready to join him playing tricks and visiting a farm.
Frank Rodgers' great artwork with bold colours and lovely lines is offset well with the soft circular, square and oval frames. When Sam and Doodle are at their liveliest we see images all across the page, which reflect that movement. A happy book about a happy boy.
A great picture book with all the imagination a youngster needs and a special dog to cherish, too!
Sam would love a dog and works with his mum to draw Doodle Dog, putting the lovely picture on his bed at night. Sams wakes to find Doodle Dog ready to join him playing tricks and visiting a farm.
Frank Rodgers' great artwork with bold colours and lovely lines is offset well with the soft circular, square and oval frames. When Sam and Doodle are at their liveliest we see images all across the page, which reflect that movement. A happy book about a happy boy.
June 4, 2015
Sam, the protagonist, desperately wants a puppy but they live in an apartment. Sam's mom draws a picture of a dog, and Sam's imagination goes wild.
This was a cute book, and many kids will be able to relate to it.
I loved the illustrations.
I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
This was a cute book, and many kids will be able to relate to it.
I loved the illustrations.
I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
October 10, 2016
A cute story about the power of imagination.
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book through NetGalley.
Note: I received a digital review copy of this book through NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews