Dodsworth in New York

Dodsworth #1

by Tim Egan

Dodsworth wanted adventure. He wanted to see the world. He especially wanted to visit New York City. What he didn’t want was to be joined by a duck. A crazy duck. A duck that misbehaves. Young readers will laugh out loud at the duck’s silly antics as Dodsworth has the unexpected adventure of his life in the Big Apple . . . and beyond.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, New York, Animals, Travel, Fiction

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 2007

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son's homework every night, seven days a week, is to read for 15 minutes, and to record what he reads in a book log. This has proved to be a challenge for me. It's hard to find that much reading material for him that's at the right level. Well, not exactly true; there is the early reader section of my local library, with which I have become intimately familiar these last two months. Rather, the hard part is finding books there that don't make me want to tear my hair out with boredom. Apparently the consciousness of having to write a story with vocabulary and sentence structure that won't spook a timid reader really cripples the imagination of most writers. There seems to be a feeling that simple means bland, and the illustrations are usually even more banal and dispiriting. Some of the books are better than others of course, but I find even Nate the Great and Frog and Toad to be a little slow going. So anything I come across that looks the slightest bit quirky, I pounce on, and now, I report with glee, I have discovered the Dodsworth books by Tim Egan.

Dodsworth, a vaguely rodent-like creature, first appeared in Egan's picture book The Pink Refrigerator, which I haven't read yet, but will soon. In the book at hand, the first of a series of three travel-themed early readers featuring Dodsworth, he decides to set out on an adventure. Before leaving town to catch a train to New York, he stops by Hodges' cafe (from another earlier picture book, Friday Night at Hodges' Cafe) for pancakes. There he encounters Hodge's "crazy duck", who has a penchant for throwing food and somehow manages to be both malevolent and endearing at once. The duck stows away in Dodsworth's suitcase, and once they arrive in New York, Dodsworth tries to send him on the next train back, but the duck slips off while his back is turned. An amusing chase through the landmarks of the city ensues. My son giggled at the unexpected places the elusive duck kept turning up. We both enjoyed the fast-paced off-beat story, and I loved Egan's illustrations, which were both simple and sophisticated -- yes, it can be done! We've also read the sequel, Dodsworth in Paris (which actually was the one I picked up first), and liked that too, and now my son is excited, yes excited, to read the third one, Dodsworth in London. Please Mr. Egan, write a couple dozen more.

[Chance Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little story with a wacky duck causing trouble for Dodsworth, who learns that having things go wrong is sometimes the best part of traveling. When he finds the duck throwing bread at a woman in the park, it cracks me up every time. The kids loved it at a read-aloud and demanded more of Dodsworth's adventures. Off to Paris!

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Longing for adventure and determined to see the world, Dodsworth sets out on a train journey to New York, from their to sail to Paris. First, however, he enjoys a delicious pancake breakfast at Hodges' Cafe, enduring the antics of Hodges' duck, who likes to throw food at the customer. Unbeknownst to Dodsworth, the duck has stowed away in his luggage, and he spends some time chasing after him, once in New York City. Will Dodsworth ever catch up with that duck, and send him back home, or will his anatine adversary lead him on a merry dance across the sea...?

I enjoyed this first entry in Tim Egan's series of early-readers following the mouse-like Dodsworth on his travels to various world cities. As my friend Emily, whose recommendation prompted me to track this down, has noted in her own review, there is a quirky quality here that is very entertaining. Children will identify with Dodsworth's frustration at the duck, while enjoying the duck's rebellious go-his-own-road attitude at the same time. The artwork is charming, and readers will enjoy seeing all of the places the duck gets to, in his flight from Dodsworth. Recommended to anyone looking for fun early readers!

[Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

MCL. I like the song the duck sang. "Fluffy pancakes in the air. Pancakes, pancakes, everywhere!"

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This easy reader has echoes of Frog and Toad. Funny and entertaining, with a great straight man/ silly guy dynamic.

[Kristel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim Egan scores again with another book in his Dodsworth series. The mouse sets off for an adventure of his own making but Hodge’s duck interrupts his plans by stowing away in Dodsworth’s trunk! Easily one of the best examples of situational comedy in children’s beginning chapter books, in this book Dodsworth tours New York like a professional—simply by chasing all over the city looking for Hodge’s crazy duck. The duck is the quintessential selfish, nonchalant character and Dodsworth is a loyal, steadfast friend to Hodge. The ink drawings and watercolors in muted colors present the perfect backdrop to this zany story. The duck slips away continuously and young readers can play a sort of Where’s Waldo? game with the small white bird in each square illustration, as he scampers to the Statue of Liberty, Washington Square and Central Parks, and even the Museum of Modern Art. In some ways, with all animal characters some readers may draw loving parallels between this story and those of Richard Scarry. With chapter breaks clearly delineated and longer sentences punctuated with bursts of conversation between Dodsworth and the other characters, this makes a great transitional book for young readers about to segue into true chapter books. The humor present throughout the book ensures that even older readers will also enjoy it. Highly recommended for public and elementary school libraries as a stand-alone or with the rest of the Dodsworth series.

[Lara's · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synopsis : Dodsworth wants to see the world. However, he gets more that he's bargained for when a crazy duck decides that he wants to see the world too...with Dodsworth.
Review : Dodsworth has worked very hard and dutifully saved his money planning for this blessed holiday. Ahhhh, freedom from responsibilities and the adventures of New York City await. But, wait..what's this? A duck, a singing, crazy, stowaway, pancake diner duck! Oh, no! The trip is in serious jeopardy of being ruined by someone who was not invited along. What is Dodsworth to do? Ditch the dancing, doofus duck and delight in the delicacies of downtown N.Y.C.? What would his friend Hodges (who happens to be the owner of the pancake diner and the duck) think? And where would Dodsworth get his favorite pancakes if he doesn't help this duck? The delight of this story is in the goofy fun of the conundrum that Dodsworth unwittingly finds himself involved in. Early readers will laugh at the duck and most likely get a lesson in doing the right thing (even when you don't want to).
Critical Reviews :"Known for his quirky books, Egan does himself proud here... ." Booklist 10/15/07. "The expressive ink-and-watercolor illustrations capture the comic aspects of the text... will delight newly launched readers." SLJ November 2007 (School Library Journal )

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Dodsworth series by Tim Egan. It explains how Dodsworth first came to travel with a duck and describes their experiences in New York City.

We first discovered this series when we read Dodsworth in Tokyo, and I thought we would go back and read the rest of the series in order. We liked the story and the duck is very silly. Dodsworth is a bit stiff and proper, but then every comedian needs a straight man, right?

Overall, we thought this was an entertaining story and we are looking forward to reading more of the books in this series.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book was just right for reading and had a lot of adventure, the illustrations never quite matched up. I mean Dodsworth is ALL OVER New York City and the storefronts or city blocks could have been from anywhere in the world really. I would have liked a little more attention to detail so I could have EXPERIENCED the city in the way that Dodsworth was.

Otherwise I liked it. The story was cute and funny and kept moving. I wish someone would mash up these books with the attention to detail that the Harry & Bella books have. THEN we would have something.

[Cosette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book.

[Kati · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saw this series on the shelf at my public library and thought it looked very charming, so I brought "Dodsworth in New York," "... Paris," "... London," "... Rome," and "... Tokyo" home to read. I wish I'd found them even half as charming as they'd sounded when browsing those library shelves. I found the stories so basic and the duck so obnoxious as to be frustrating.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Melody Dietrich, age 8:

In Dodsworth in New York, Dodsworth is going to New York and a silly duck is coming with him but Dodsworth doesn't know it yet! I liked Dodsworth being mad at the ridiculous duck and the ending was very funny. The duck escaped again! There was nothing about this book I did not like.

[Denise Kettering · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story was really funny and even though my kids are above the age demographic, they found it funny. The duck is a real character and keeps Dodsworth on his toes as they run through New York. I really appreciated the way that it moves through the city and hits major locations in the city. A really fun early chapter book.

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a twin vision book gifted to me by a friend. Twin vision means it is both print and Braille. I found it to be a delightful little story that included ducks, trains, traveling, all of my favorite things.

[Michael Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute story!

Great story for my 1st grader! Ready to read the next book in the series...
Love the characters in the book!

[Rachel Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't love it or find it particularly cute, but my 5 year old liked it-especially duck's antics.

[Esther May · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me this book was fine, but my seven year old gave this review. "This is the best book I have ever read and it is so funny. "

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

When he meets duck

[Heather Tribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous story with a great lesson about stepping up and taking responsibility to care for another even when you have other plans.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading out of order. This one is much more about the duck than about the city. Which doesn't work for me. Egan has a certain kind of sense of humor... is it like yours?

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

So funny

[Launna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun adventure

[Kelly Chester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book - what a surprise ending !

[Jessica Kingery · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my 9 year old son: I like Dodsworth because it is easy to read. The story is also funny. Kids any age will enjoy.

[Lbsantini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved The Pink Refrigerator and Dodsworth. Quite honestly, I wish he'd of had his own adventure instead of Duck's tagging along and infringing.

[Nicoswan · Rating 3 out of 5]

So silly! We like this.

[Ally Copper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dodsworth longs for adventure, and he has decided he's going to seek it in New York City, Paris, London, and wherever he can go after that. Before he begins his trip, he stops for pancakes at his friend Hodges' cafe. At the cafe he runs into Hodges' duck, who is crazy and loves to throw food. Once Dodsworth has embarked on his adventure, he discovers that Hodges' duck has hidden away in his luggage. Instead of going where he wishes, Dodsworth has to chase the duck all over New York City. This annoyance ultimately allows Dodsworth to have the adventure he seeks.

"Dodsworth in New York" by Tim Egan is an easy-reader picture book with four short chapters, ink and watercolor illustrations on each page, short sentences, lots of white space, and an engaging story that will keep readers reading and giggling. The illustrations mostly reflect the action of the story, but a few reveal additional information not mentioned in the text. For instance, Dodsworth can't find the duck at the Statue of Liberty, but the illustration reveals the duck standing atop Lady Liberty's torch. This short, simple adventure book has a fun sense of humor and will appeal to readers in first through fourth grade.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dodsworth in New York" is a visual chapter book that will appeal to kids in 2nd and 3rd grade. I love the illustrations. I value the fact that its a chapter book that blends solid 2nd grade vocabulary with bigger words like Hodges, ruined, and excitement, as well as introducing domestic and foreign place names. Kids will enjoy the whimsical adventure of the duck tagging along uninvited, and they will also be introduced to the serial adventure, as the end of the story leads to the sequel "Dodsworth in Paris".

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining! I hope Dodsworth and the duck will go to Paris in a second book. My favorite thing is how the duck seems to be ruining Dodsworth's travels, but as Dodsworth dutifully hunts down the wandering duck, he finds many sights to enjoy that he would not otherwise have noticed. "Sorry he ruined your adventure," said Hodges. "Ruined it? He was the adventure," said Dodsworth. Well said!

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. To make it even better it's one of the few books that can keep my toddler's attention.

Silly and entertaining. It would be a great book for a book report for an early elementary child. Teaches about New York attractions too, which is a reason I got it since we are taking a trip to NY for the first time since my son was three months old.