Seadogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta

by Lisa Wheeler, Mark Siegel (Illustrator)

Beware! When Old Seadog decides on "one last sail," he invites his good friends Brave Beagle and Dear Dachshund along for the ride. But the sea is filled with danger -- storms rage and pirates abound! Will the three friends end up as a dog meat?

Come set sail and sing along with this boisterous canine crew. Who knows what surprises lie ahead!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Graphic Novels, Poetry, Pirates, Animals, Adventure

40 pages, Paperback

First published February 10, 2004

Reviews

[Emm Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seadogs is a favorite in our house and I highly recommend it as a great read-aloud, sing-aloud, and/or as a great comic for pre-readers. My 4-year-old knows the story by heart, and is happy to follow along with the illustrations, telling me or his little brother about the adventures of Old Seadog, Brave Beagle, and Dear Dachshund, and about their run-ins with Pirate Captain Jacques Fifi(the Terrier of the Sea!) and his mangy crew. It is an inspired tail(err, tale), and easily ranks as a Most Loved Book in our reading rotations.

[Aimee · Rating 2 out of 5]

This charming graphic novel depicts a pirate adventure performed by an all-canine cast. The novel begins with an audience of dogs waiting for a play to begin. As the story unfolds it focuses just on the dogs in the play and not of those in the audience. The audience returns to the focus, after the play ends and the cast take a bow. The story is told through songs and verse, as the pirate pups struggle to find a hidden treasure and beat the dastardly Captain Jacques Fifi. The author parodies classic rhymes and nursery songs, changing the lyrics to match the seadog theme. The illustrations and verse add to the impact of this tale of bravery, romance, and mutiny. A fun read-aloud, this book could be shared with children in first grade and higher. The animal characters, comic-style, and humor would make it an easy title to recommend to boys and girls.

[Bayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was absolutely adorable. It's remeniscent of Gilbert and Sullivan operas like The Pirates of Penzance and the HMS Pinafore, but the cast is filled with "ruff"ians of all types. The sea captain pooch, aptly name Seadog, leads a ragtag troop of pups out on the seas. Accompanying him are Daschund and the Beagle, who have a subplot love story. Even the pirate captain, Jacques Fifi, is lovable. I can see children having trouble having patience with this book, since it is written in the form of song lyrics, and the pictures are small--almost a comic-like format. But I, as an adult, loved it, and would recommend it to any dog lover or music lover.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

SeaDogs: An Epic Ocean Operetta is a story showing a cast of dogs doing an opera show in a theater. The show is full of adventure and fun; showing pirates and treasure hunting. The show also delivers the message of what is true treasure.
This book is fun for the whole family. It's full of songs and rhyme that get the kids giggling. The pages are full of detailed photos that compliment the story very well. This was a fun book all around.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A different style picture book. Wheeler begins with wordless pages telling the story and moves to poems that move through as the opera songs. Illustrations are detailed and tell the story along with the poetry.
The old dog wants one more sea trip and finds his crew. They set out and have adventures on the high seas including a pirate attack and finding buried treasure. A puppy stows away and he adopts him as his family to finish the tale.

[Gloria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky picture book with a graphic novel style (text and multiple panels per page). There’s a story within a story within a story: the little girl attending a performance, the theatrical performance itself, and the story being performed. Clever and fun.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was creative, it just wasn't for me.

[AftonPrime34 · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best book ever! I own this book and still read it over and over again! I would totally recommend this book!

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's not bad to pass the time

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I typically love any & all graphic novels. I appreciate the presentation style, the mix of visual & text elements. However, this one did not grab me. While I did enjoy the visuals (very colorful, vivid, compellling) the text did not pull me into the story. I kept waiting for "And then????"

However, that would not discourage me from recommending to a music teacher introducing opera to students. It does help explain what the style is & how a story is conveyed.

[Lindsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in verse, this is an adventure tale of dog pirates and their search for buried treasure. What makes it unique is the fact that the reader knows it's a play, because we see the little girl come into the theater and leave afterwards. The story and pictures are really cute, filled with plays on words with dogs. (Rudyard Kibbling, for example). Kids who like pirates will love it!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

No pun intended but it was a dog-gone good book. I saw the sea captain and it looked like a Westie to me. So I was sold. This book has lots of great dog puns and gag lines like:
The wind whipped cold and hard. Dear Dachshund dropped to his kness and prayed to Saint Bernard. Now that's funny. You really need to sing when you read this one.

[Bekka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a cute book! Its all done with dogs as the people, and is a play on the old Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The rhymes are silly and fun, with tons of dog-related puns, such as "Jacque Fifi, the Terrier of the sea!" The kids won't get the Gilbert and Sullivan references, but they will enjoy the illustrations and rhymes, and, of course, the dogs!

[jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute, graphic novel style picture book. It's really about a little girl who goes to the opera with her parents, and the story is the opera that she sees. The story is done in rhyme, kind of like a ballad. It's funny and worth a read.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute book but I am not sure who I would recommend it too. The book is done in poems, and the pictures next to the poems tell a completely different story. It was very well written and I liked the poems, I just could not get into the book.

[Abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Text in rhyme (could make up own music as you go) for all-dog pirate adventure--illustrates that sometimes what you sing is what is happening or how you feel or background information on your character

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this to my kids. We took turns making up the melodies of the songs and embarrassed ourselves silly.

[Greta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Wheeler is a master at poetry and rhyme. This operetta follows the form of Gilbert and Sullivan.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Seadogs because my mom made up the music. And I laughed at the kissing part. Seadogs was very great and I really liked it because of the part where they find the treasure.

[Sarah]

for my Library Materials and Services for School-Age Children class

[Breana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story for kids. Good comic book style artwork for young children.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best when read aloud with your child. We had a lot of fun singing this epic ocean operetta--some "songs" better than others, but all in all a lot of fun.

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute and unusual kids book. The illustrations are what truly made this book and most likely what will grab a kid's attention.

[Jazmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best poetry book but it’s okay. A lot of pirate remake of known poems. Could have used more original work to tell the story of the seven seas.

[Vasisht]

for people who don't like reading