No Dogs Allowed!

by Linda Ashman, Kristin Sorra

Welcome to Alberto's restaurant…unless you're a dog, a cat, a bunny, or ANYTHING with fur, feathers, or scales! The entertainment escalates in this nearly wordless picture book as more and more people arrive with a surprising selection of pets.  Alberto turns them all away--only to see the crowd discover a friendlier alternative in the festive street. Will Alberto find a way to win them back?Charming, classic art, with graphic novel-like panels, make this a fresh and funny story that will amuse even the youngest readers. Included on the Texas 2 x 2 Reading List!

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Dogs, Fiction, France, Juvenile

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2011

About the author

Linda Ashman is the author of more than 40 picture books and The Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books . Her books have been included on the "best of the year" lists of the New York Times, IRA/CBC Children's Choices, the New York Public Library and others, and have been translated into many languages. Linda lives with her family in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Reviews

[Melki · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Alberto decides he doesn't want to serve any customers with fur, feathers, shells, or scales, he finds himself with no patrons while everyone is having fun elsewhere.

Let this be a lesson for you, Sweetcakes Bakery!

Charming illustrations by Kristin Sorra.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the story is done in illustrations with little words and sentences to help. The story is about a man named Alberto who opens a bistro. On his opening day, he is welcoming anybody, until he sees a boy walking over with a dog. He quickly changes his sign to read that no dogs are allowed. When the boy leaves, he goes across the street and to a fountain to sit down. Suddenly, a girl with a cat appears and this prompts Alberto to change his sign once more. Now no dogs or cats are allowed. The girl joins the boy across the street, and soon a whole gang of people with various animals start to approach the bistro.

No Dogs Allowed is a great story about friendship and acceptance. The main character Alberto is so compulsive about who is allowed in his restaurant that by restricting so many things, he is limiting the amount of people that can actually enjoy his food. The one customer that he does manage to wrangle in soon leaves because Alberto cannot give him the attention and service someone would deserve in a restaurant. He is far too busy being concerned with keeping various animals out of the restaurant. By the end however, he learns a valuable lesson of acceptance.

I read over the book twice just so I could absorb the story better. Books that are told mostly by illustrations can have hidden meanings and I wanted to take everything I could out of the story. I did enjoy it, and smiled in many places. The author uses a sense of humor to help portray just how rejecting the main character is.

[Nicolette · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book barely had much text in it but the pictures told most of the story just fine. It was about a man that owned a restaurant and didn't want animals in his restaurant. Everytime he saw someone walk in with an animal he would add that animal on the list on the sign outside, saying which were not welcome. Finally, at the end, he found that by being inviting to everyone and all creatures he would have a lot more customers and make more friends!

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wordless picture book, with a small twist. There are signs that do have words to help tell the story. Not a good read-aloud.

[Sparrow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't really get into the silly story. I understand that it was supposed to be a book that taught community and acceptance, but I couldn't allow the suspension of disbelief for that comparison when it is fairly obvious why animals aren't usually accepted in restaurants...

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a cute, fun story. Perhaps a little too many pictures to make a good wordless picture book example for story time, but would be good for a family/evening story. Good to build kids storytelling skills.

[Mckinley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly wordless, except for the sign which is important to the story.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

In strange pet city, one brave man tries to stand up to the big pet industry, but learn you can’t fight city hall.

[Kristi Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Texas 2x2 title - 2012

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dogs had some reservations in the beginning of this book but felt all conflict was resolved to their satisfaction by the end!

[Haaley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a limited text book but the images spoke for themselves. The kids laughed at which animals came next. Fun book over all.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly wordless picture book with lots to look for in the artwork. Great example of how the art can move the story arc. Cute one.

[Aarvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice one!

[Mari]

nice enough i guess... mostly wordless

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this beautifully illustrated wordless picture book readers meet a young boy and his dog hoping to have lunch at a restuarant with available outdoor seating. However the owner/manager of the place sees them coming and quickly changes the "welcome" sign to "no dogs allowed." Perturbed the boy and his dog head towards the fountain across from the place to sit. Then comes a young girl with a cat, a woman with a bunny and a fmaily with a kangaroo. The owner keeps changing the sign to reflect whatever creature he sees coming his way and this leads to many humorous panels.

In the meantime, a gentleman has been seated and is waiting to be served but the owner is so busy heading off potential furry patrons that the man is never waited on and leaves. By now the owner realizes that he may have a problem. Most of the people who he turned away from his restaurant have now received refreshmant from a lemonade stand. But the lemonade stand quickly runs out of stuff.

Not to fear! The little boy with the dog has an idea. He speaks with the lemaonade stand woman and the restaurant owner and an agreement is reached. Soon the owner appears with a huge stack of cupcakes and the boy has more lemonade. By the end of the story the restaurant says "All Critters Bistro" and all are welcome.

A great story of inclusion and compromise.

[Shane Prevosto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Synopsis:
Alberto is the proud, new owner of a restaurant in the middle of town. Though he really looks forward to helping customers, he continues to tighten the requirements for the types of guests. In the beginning, a child and his dog approach the restaurant, hoping to order food. When they attempt to order from the waiter, he turns them away, because he doesn't want to serve a dog. He then proceeds to write on his 'chalkboard' sign: "No Dogs Allowed!" Another child comes to the restaurant, looking to get a good meal with her pet cat. When the waiter sees the little girl with a cat, he refuses to serve her and adds to the sign, "No Dogs and Cats Allowed!" As the day progresses, the opportunity arises that the owner and waiter has a chance to have his first customer, yet he has continuously passed them all up with his ever-increasing, generic standards of "No animals allowed". By the day's end, the chalkboard is overflowing with a peculiar animal variety of each pet that an owner has attempted to bring to the restaurant, but whose service was eventually turned away. The customers, after all congregating in the town circle, decided to go over to the Restaurant at the end to give him service, despite his bad behavior toward them in the beginning. Everyone

[Mary Kate Garst]

Summary: No Dogs Allowed is a wonderful book for children of early reading age. With very few lines of text it is in excellent lesson in learning to read to the pictures. It begins with a character named Alberto who owns City Lights restaurant. A young boy approaches with His dog and Alberto turns them away, writing 'no dogs allowed' on his sidewalk sign. Customer after customer approach the restaurant, all with different animals in tow. Eventually Alberto's sidewalk sign is expanded to include 'no one with her, feathers, shells, scales, or trunks allowed'. All of the customers with animals are gathered in the city square enjoying vendors selling lemonade and ice cream. Alberto notices no one is enjoying his restaurant and is very desolate until the boy with the dog approaches him with a plan. Together they reinvent the city lights restaurant and turn it into All Critters Bistro. The animals and their owners enjoy Alberto's fine food and Alberto enjoys their company.

Activity: Make copies of the pages of the book have students cut out the pictures. Next mix them up then reorder them in sequence of events order. For intermediate age students have them add a speech bubble for each picture.

Citation: Ashman, L. (2011). No Dogs Allowed (p.32). Toronto: Sterling Publishing.

[Gabriella Pugliese · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Dogs Allowed! written by Linda Ashman has not received any awards. This picture book is recommended for children ranging in grades preschool up to third grade.

No Dogs Allowed! is a wordless picture book. In Alberto's restaurant, dog, anything with fur, feathers, or scales are not allowed to enter the restaurant. As the story goes on more and more people begin to arrive with a vast selection of pets. The owner of the restaurant turns them all away because he believes that they should not be allowed. As time goes on, Alberto finds that the crowd and their animals have found another option out in the festive street and he tries to find a way to get them back into his restaurant.

The illustrations, which are the main focus seeing as there are no words provided in the book, are amazing and intriguing. This book allows children to be creative and the idea behind the story is interesting and different.

Possible In-Class Uses:
-Sequencing events in story.
-After reading the book, discuss with children if there was ever any place that they could not bring their pet. Instruct them to illustrate or write about a time that this happened.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is mainly illustrations, with very little text. The story is about a new restaurant owner who has a sign up welcoming everyone. As the story progresses he slowly starts excluding more and more people by not allowing their animals. Will he learn his lesson? A cute story about community and acceptance.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is nearly a wordless picture book, and what I call a ‘building’ story, where it adds to the same thing, page after page, getting more outrageous as it goes along. It begins at a small sidewalk café with a rather snooty waiter/owner? who first chalks on his menu board “No Dogs allowed!” which is the title. Next added to the list of those not welcome are cats, then bunnies, and on, until finally someone shows up with an elephant. The restaurant is clearly losing business and a local lemonade-ice cream cart is thrilled to have the business, but that happiness doesn’t last long either. The book offers an opportune beginning in helping children “read” facial expressions and background information in order to predict what’s next in a story. And it’s also a good lesson in inclusion and kindness in a variety of ways. This is a book out last year that’s too good too ignore.

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is this really a story about “inclusion”? The new restaurant owner is portrayed as a party pooper because he doesn’t want to violate health code restrictions and be fined or shuttered; the unrestricted street vendor becomes the hero because she serves everybody, even the “owners” of wild and exotic animals. What does this teach readers about the ethics of animal welfare and human stewardship? Seems like Alberto needs a few more words to explain why salmonella and ptomaine aren’t regular fare at most restaurants. Chances are likely none of these animals is on his menu, either.

[Tara]

including everyone, acceptance

[Nick Molinet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one of those books that is short and doesn't really have a great story line but it has great characters, narration and pictures. This is the book of a restaurant owner and of all the animals that he has to say no because they are not allowed although in the end he changes his mind and makes his restaurant open to all people and animal around.

LE: after the story, ask the children if they have been somewhere where they weren't allowed to bring in their pets. After the discussion give them paper, glue, scissors, construction paper, and other crafting materials and ask them to create their own place like store, restaurant, hotel etc and who they would let in.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A waiter in a Parisian bistro adamantly refuses to serve dogs. Or cats. Or any other animals his human patrons attempt to sneak in. And finally the animal-loving humans are forced to seek sustenance from a street vendor, who doesn’t have close to enough food for the throngs of people and their animals who visit. Now the street vendor and the people and their animals must petition the waiter for help.

“No Dogs Or Cats Allowed” (sign on chalkboard at bistro)
Woman arrives with a bunny in her arms.
Waiter modifies the sign: “No Dogs Or Cats Or Bunnies Allowed”

[Audra Rowell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm always on the hunt for a good wordless picture book. With the right one, you can do so many great instructional things. And No Dogs Allowed is a wonderful find. While it's not absolutely, completely wordless, it is the detailed and vivid illustrations that tell the story of a waiter who insists that no animals visit his restaurant. What he doesn't realize is the number of people who have pets and the variety of pets that people have. It is only when his restaurant sits empty that the waiter realizes he just might have to change his mind about animals.

[Kari · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a town and their different animals is told through creative illustrations and simple text. The people of the town want to go eat at a fancy cafe, but are not allowed by the owner because of their unique friends. The owner keeps scaring them off, but in the end he realizes that friends can come in many different shapes and sizes. This story shows examples of dialog and gets readers to use their own imagination to fill in what's going on. That being said, this book can definitely be used to help students make predictions by using context clues from the great pictures.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an almost completely wordless picture book about a poor waiter who doesn't want animals in his restaurant. Unfortunately, they just keep on coming and setting up in the plaza around him. By the end he has compromised and his place is open for business for everyone. The joy of this book is the illustrations, which tell of the waiters frustrations and the party going on around him. It is a fun book and kids will enjoy pouring over the pictures to find all the details.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is more wordless-ish than wordless, since the waiter is constantly adding writing to the "no dogs allowed" sign, but it is a great opportunity for kids who are just learning to read to start to anticipate written words based on the story found in the illustrations.

The style of illustration is crisp and full of details that bring each page to life. The story is funny and has a happy ending that focuses on acceptance and inclusion.

[Tricia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost wordless, this is a title to pour over with a small audience. A waiter doesn't want any of the many animals that happen along to his cafe to be served. As a result a small lemonade/ice cream cart in the park is overrun with business. Children will delight in the cooperation between the two servers in this book with a happy ending.

[Micah Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun book about someone who is not very happy and does not allow other animals into his restaurant. Really provides detail to students to be nice to everyone and invite them to do other things with them. Such a great message and could be a great read aloud for any grade level. Highly suggest this one!