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Dogs' Night
Once a year, the dogs in the paintings in London’s National Gallery have an exciting night out. For a few hours, they escape their gilded frames and are free to run up and down the grand staircases, chase each other round the marble halls, and explore the other exhibits. But four of the dogs overindulge and sleepily climb back into the wrong paintings. When the mix-up is discovered, the museum’s popularity soars! This playful story, with superb illustrations by Alan Curless and lovely reproductions of National Gallery paintings, provides young children with a charming introduction to fine art.
36 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Meredith Hooper
104 books6 followersMeredith Hooper uses the storybook form in Who Built the Pyramid? to make the latest research accessible for a young audience. Meredith Hooper is an historian by training and the author of many books, ranging in subject from Antarctica to aviation, from the history of water to the history of inventions.
Hooper, born in 1939, graduated in history from the University of Adelaide, then studied imperial history at Oxford.
Hooper, born in 1939, graduated in history from the University of Adelaide, then studied imperial history at Oxford.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 19, 2014
Really cute, fun concept -- one night a year, the dogs get to come out of their paintings and play. But this year, there is a late-night party going on, and after it ends the dogs drink the leftover champagne and some of them end up in the wrong paintings.
The actuality seemed kind of flat somehow, but it's still an okay book. It might be nice to read to a kid before visiting the museum, although I don't think it would be very helpful in introducing art history or technique.
The actuality seemed kind of flat somehow, but it's still an okay book. It might be nice to read to a kid before visiting the museum, although I don't think it would be very helpful in introducing art history or technique.
January 19, 2026
I must confess to not being a reader of books on dogs but this one sounded so different and as the story is set in the National Gallery in London, it had its own special appeal.
It all begins with the dogs in the paintings in the gallery being excited as it was their annual night out. But they were initially disappointed because some sort of preview was being held and a large number of guests arrived to view and partake food and drink while browsing the new exhibition.
As well as being disappointed, the dogs were rather surprised for, as far as they were aware, nobody was usually allowed to eat and drink in the gallery. But this occasion proved an exception. And eventually a good one it was ... for the dogs that is!
When all the guests had departed and the gallery was locked up the dogs, all of them, climbed out of their pictures to have a joyful evening. And, as they ran around the gallery enjoying themselves, it was made all the better by there being food and drink left behind for them to enjoy. This they did as they continued to skid around doors, jump on seats, playfully fight, play games and to explore all round.
They ate most of the left over sandwiches and cakes and lapped up the fizzy drinks. But then it was midnight and time to stop and to return to their respective paintings. One by one they climbed back into them and settled down.
The following morning the cleaners had the shock of their lives when they discovered the mess that had been left over from the previous night's preview. They duly cleaned up and at 10 o'clock the gallery was opened. Nothing untoward happened until mid-afternoon when a party of school children visited. One of them pointed at 'The Arnolfini Marriage' by Jan van Eyck and laughingly told her teacher that it was the wrong dog in the painting. The teacher at first did not believe it but then realised that the little girl was correct.
A guard was called and then the gallery director went along with his deputy and the chief warden. They could not believe their eyes and they examined further paintings to discover that there were three other paintings that had the wrong dog in them. These were 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' by Thomas Gainsborough, 'Bathers at Asnières' by Georges-Paul Seurat and 'Madame de Pompadour' by François-Hubert Drouais.
The officials could not work out what had happened but there was nothing that they could do about it. Word quickly spread and the gallery was never as popular as queues of visitors formed to view the offending paintings.
Twelve months went by and then it was Dogs' Night once more. And out they all came but this time there were no left-overs for there had been no preview evening. The dogs enjoyed themselves just the same but this time they had not become over-excited and when it came time to return to their paintings, they did so correctly.
This was mainly because the red dog with floppy ears, normally with the bathers, was bored with being in a bedroom, the black dog with the fluffy tail, usually with Madame, was tired of being by a river, the small hairy dog, usually with the Arnolfinis, was scared of guns and the big, brown hunting dog, usually with the Andrews, hated standing on a chair.
When the crowds arrived the following morning it was to discover that everything was back to normal and none of the gallery staff could explain it ... Dogs' Night remained a secret!
Superbly illustrated, Meredith Hooper's fantasy is a great story and will not only encourage youngsters to read but perhaps also to visit their local gallery where they could look out for dogs who could, on their special night, change places with one another.
It all begins with the dogs in the paintings in the gallery being excited as it was their annual night out. But they were initially disappointed because some sort of preview was being held and a large number of guests arrived to view and partake food and drink while browsing the new exhibition.
As well as being disappointed, the dogs were rather surprised for, as far as they were aware, nobody was usually allowed to eat and drink in the gallery. But this occasion proved an exception. And eventually a good one it was ... for the dogs that is!
When all the guests had departed and the gallery was locked up the dogs, all of them, climbed out of their pictures to have a joyful evening. And, as they ran around the gallery enjoying themselves, it was made all the better by there being food and drink left behind for them to enjoy. This they did as they continued to skid around doors, jump on seats, playfully fight, play games and to explore all round.
They ate most of the left over sandwiches and cakes and lapped up the fizzy drinks. But then it was midnight and time to stop and to return to their respective paintings. One by one they climbed back into them and settled down.
The following morning the cleaners had the shock of their lives when they discovered the mess that had been left over from the previous night's preview. They duly cleaned up and at 10 o'clock the gallery was opened. Nothing untoward happened until mid-afternoon when a party of school children visited. One of them pointed at 'The Arnolfini Marriage' by Jan van Eyck and laughingly told her teacher that it was the wrong dog in the painting. The teacher at first did not believe it but then realised that the little girl was correct.
A guard was called and then the gallery director went along with his deputy and the chief warden. They could not believe their eyes and they examined further paintings to discover that there were three other paintings that had the wrong dog in them. These were 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' by Thomas Gainsborough, 'Bathers at Asnières' by Georges-Paul Seurat and 'Madame de Pompadour' by François-Hubert Drouais.
The officials could not work out what had happened but there was nothing that they could do about it. Word quickly spread and the gallery was never as popular as queues of visitors formed to view the offending paintings.
Twelve months went by and then it was Dogs' Night once more. And out they all came but this time there were no left-overs for there had been no preview evening. The dogs enjoyed themselves just the same but this time they had not become over-excited and when it came time to return to their paintings, they did so correctly.
This was mainly because the red dog with floppy ears, normally with the bathers, was bored with being in a bedroom, the black dog with the fluffy tail, usually with Madame, was tired of being by a river, the small hairy dog, usually with the Arnolfinis, was scared of guns and the big, brown hunting dog, usually with the Andrews, hated standing on a chair.
When the crowds arrived the following morning it was to discover that everything was back to normal and none of the gallery staff could explain it ... Dogs' Night remained a secret!
Superbly illustrated, Meredith Hooper's fantasy is a great story and will not only encourage youngsters to read but perhaps also to visit their local gallery where they could look out for dogs who could, on their special night, change places with one another.
June 18, 2017
I thought the first half of the book just perfect. If it had been a little longer, with more paintings & their respective dogs shown, I'd have been pleased. The second half of the book, in which the 'real' people actually saw some of the dogs in the wrong paintings, made no sense to me. It also felt like a distraction from the 'pay close attention to details to develop art appreciation' theme that was done so well in the first half. But I suppose it might make the book more appealing to general audiences.
Anyway, I do recommend the book. And next time I'm in a museum I will look for all the dogs (and other animal companions) that I never noticed before!
Anyway, I do recommend the book. And next time I'm in a museum I will look for all the dogs (and other animal companions) that I never noticed before!
October 30, 2012
This is such a lovely book. Set in the National Gallery, London, the dogs of the paintings come out once a year on Dogs' Night. This year there's a party in the gallery and all of the dogs are waiting until the party guests leave and they can throw a party of their own.
Once the guests do leave, it's time for the dogs to have their party. And it's a riotous affair! We see dogs of all shapes, colours and sizes racing around the gallery. There's a vivid sense of pace and place to these pages primarily because of the rampant iconicism of the National Gallery. It is such a gorgeous setting and Curless and Burgess play joyously in it.
But then, at the end of Dogs' Night, things go a little awry and some of the dogs end up in the wrong paintings! This obviously draws a little attention and the dogs have to deal with being in the wrong paintings until next Dogs' Night when they can come out, party, and make sure they go home to the right painting.
What I also liked about this is the palpable sense of joy and how it utilises real artworks in the book. There's a nice little introduction to the actual paintings used at the back of the book and I adored the suggestion that every art gallery has its dogs' night. When I was growing up, I used to love hunting for hidden doors in French chateaux when we were on holiday. Looking for the dogs is a similar sort of thing - and it's a very clever way to introduce children to classic artwork.
Have a look at Google Art Project to explore the collection and 'hunt the dogs' online!
Once the guests do leave, it's time for the dogs to have their party. And it's a riotous affair! We see dogs of all shapes, colours and sizes racing around the gallery. There's a vivid sense of pace and place to these pages primarily because of the rampant iconicism of the National Gallery. It is such a gorgeous setting and Curless and Burgess play joyously in it.
But then, at the end of Dogs' Night, things go a little awry and some of the dogs end up in the wrong paintings! This obviously draws a little attention and the dogs have to deal with being in the wrong paintings until next Dogs' Night when they can come out, party, and make sure they go home to the right painting.
What I also liked about this is the palpable sense of joy and how it utilises real artworks in the book. There's a nice little introduction to the actual paintings used at the back of the book and I adored the suggestion that every art gallery has its dogs' night. When I was growing up, I used to love hunting for hidden doors in French chateaux when we were on holiday. Looking for the dogs is a similar sort of thing - and it's a very clever way to introduce children to classic artwork.
Have a look at Google Art Project to explore the collection and 'hunt the dogs' online!
March 28, 2013
what happens at night in the art gallery when no humans are there to watch? and what happens when it goes wrong?
loved this!
loved this!
February 25, 2018
A great, funny book for any dog fans, which also allows a deeper exploration of art.
March 6, 2019
Love books which are set in galleries with art. My 2yr old loves this book. One of the pictures is in Katie and the Bathers too.
May 10, 2020
Funny! I like the introduction of fine art through a fun story about dogs. Makes me miss museums all the more.
Read
August 16, 2021It made me feel smart.
August 14, 2022
Genuinely one of the best childrens picture books I've read
Want to buy a physical copy now
Want to buy a physical copy now
January 18, 2025
Hooper Hoops #1
Amusing tale of dogs from paintings who have an annual night out and then go back to thee incorrect paintings confusing the experts and the punters.
Good fun tale.
Amusing tale of dogs from paintings who have an annual night out and then go back to thee incorrect paintings confusing the experts and the punters.
Good fun tale.
November 14, 2025
Very Night at the Museum, but with dogs.
January 12, 2013
(Mommy's review from 11/6/10)
This was a riot to read with Julia! Neither one of us knows much about art but it's still an awesome book to read to/with a little one. Don't let the fact that this centers around real musuem paintings stop you.
The illustrations are marvelous! Any dog lover could flip through looking at the pictures for quite a while. The expressions on some of the faces of the dogs is priceless.
The story is about Dogs' Night - the one night a year when the dogs get to come out of the paintings, play, have fun, run around, and just get crazy. This is after the musuem closes for the night so no one is around to catch them and they'll all back in their paintings long before they need to be.
Except for one night. One night something different happens and a few of the dogs get mixed up in another dogs painting. One child walking through the musuem notices this and alerts the attention her teacher who of course thinks she's wrong. One it's found that she's right drama ensues. Long lines of people come to see these paintings with the wrong dogs in them. No one can explain how it's happened.
Everything stays the same until one year later, the next Dogs' Night when, after their annual party, the "wrong" dogs get back into the "right" paintings.
Awesome, awesome, awesome premise. Awesome illustrations. The use of actual paintings makes it all the better. I'd recommend to anyone! (less)
This was a riot to read with Julia! Neither one of us knows much about art but it's still an awesome book to read to/with a little one. Don't let the fact that this centers around real musuem paintings stop you.
The illustrations are marvelous! Any dog lover could flip through looking at the pictures for quite a while. The expressions on some of the faces of the dogs is priceless.
The story is about Dogs' Night - the one night a year when the dogs get to come out of the paintings, play, have fun, run around, and just get crazy. This is after the musuem closes for the night so no one is around to catch them and they'll all back in their paintings long before they need to be.
Except for one night. One night something different happens and a few of the dogs get mixed up in another dogs painting. One child walking through the musuem notices this and alerts the attention her teacher who of course thinks she's wrong. One it's found that she's right drama ensues. Long lines of people come to see these paintings with the wrong dogs in them. No one can explain how it's happened.
Everything stays the same until one year later, the next Dogs' Night when, after their annual party, the "wrong" dogs get back into the "right" paintings.
Awesome, awesome, awesome premise. Awesome illustrations. The use of actual paintings makes it all the better. I'd recommend to anyone! (less)
September 15, 2013
This book first caught my eye with the deep red on the cover. When I first discovered the paintings were from the national gallery, I was a little hesitant, because I equate being bored with being in a gallery or museum.
This book is a mid-sized book and portrait orientation. The font of the text is fairly elegant. Because of the font and color of the cover, I am expecting this to be an informative picture, except there are dogs piled on each other in front of the painting. This makes me think, maybe there will be something funny going on with the dogs.
Within the book, the text in located around the pictures. Most pages are full bleed, though there are some white pages with illustrations within them. There are one page and two page spreads. I noticed that some of the two page spreads were helping me to see how large the number of objects are on the page. For example, on one page, all of the dogs are running in the gallery. The pictures are on a two page spread and show more dogs running around with each other. The same thing happens when the story shows all of the people lining up to come to the gallery. Lots of people are around the outside of the pages, to show how long the line is.
This book is a mid-sized book and portrait orientation. The font of the text is fairly elegant. Because of the font and color of the cover, I am expecting this to be an informative picture, except there are dogs piled on each other in front of the painting. This makes me think, maybe there will be something funny going on with the dogs.
Within the book, the text in located around the pictures. Most pages are full bleed, though there are some white pages with illustrations within them. There are one page and two page spreads. I noticed that some of the two page spreads were helping me to see how large the number of objects are on the page. For example, on one page, all of the dogs are running in the gallery. The pictures are on a two page spread and show more dogs running around with each other. The same thing happens when the story shows all of the people lining up to come to the gallery. Lots of people are around the outside of the pages, to show how long the line is.
September 17, 2013
As a dog-lover, I have to say that I love the book so much. When I see this picture book in the library, the cover first caught my eyes. The five dogs on the cover, each with different facial expression. Actually, I noticed in the whole book, each dog is different from the others. There are big dogs, little dogs, fat dogs, thin dogs, spotted dogs,plain dogs, etc. All of them are different and quite real.
In addition, the cover of the picture book is in the color of red, which is eye-catching. I guess this is also the reason why I pick this picture book in the library. The red background, to some extent, looks warm, especially with the five lovely dogs.
One of the features of this book must be the illustration of dogs and people. Not only the facial expression on all dogs are different from each other, but also the people's gestures and facial expressions aren't the same, even when there seems to be hundreds of people lining up in the street in one of the pictures. When I look closely at the people in the line, I was unable to find two people who are the same. Every one is just unique. It is amazing and marvelous.
In addition, the cover of the picture book is in the color of red, which is eye-catching. I guess this is also the reason why I pick this picture book in the library. The red background, to some extent, looks warm, especially with the five lovely dogs.
One of the features of this book must be the illustration of dogs and people. Not only the facial expression on all dogs are different from each other, but also the people's gestures and facial expressions aren't the same, even when there seems to be hundreds of people lining up in the street in one of the pictures. When I look closely at the people in the line, I was unable to find two people who are the same. Every one is just unique. It is amazing and marvelous.
May 15, 2016
This was a pretty cute book. It is about the dogs in historically well known paintings, and how they emerge from their paintings one night a year. All the dogs in the museum run around and play together, to stretch their legs, on this special day, and re-enter their painting before the next morning. Except one of these Dog's Nights goes awry, with several dogs entering the wrong painting! The wrong can't be righted for an entire year, until the next Dog's Night. What happens during that year, with many people realizing the wrong dog is in a painting?
It is a cute story, illustrations are alright, though I'm sure the artist was somewhat limitted, as the dogs and paintings are all based off of well known paintings. There is a page at the back of the book that gives a little more info on the paintings. It is a great story to read to kids the night before or the night after a day at an art museum. It is fun to imagine dogs leaving their paintings for a special night of fun.
It is a cute story, illustrations are alright, though I'm sure the artist was somewhat limitted, as the dogs and paintings are all based off of well known paintings. There is a page at the back of the book that gives a little more info on the paintings. It is a great story to read to kids the night before or the night after a day at an art museum. It is fun to imagine dogs leaving their paintings for a special night of fun.
June 10, 2008
This book was cute! Once a year, after everyone has gone home, the dogs in the Art Museum get to climb out of their paitings and have a special night out. They get to run and play until midnight. One night there was a party and everyone didn't go home until much later. The dogs finally got to climb out of their paintings, but they didn't have as much time. At midnight, after eating and drinking all the left overs from the party, the dogs were so sleepy they climbed into the wrong paintings. It was a disaster. The Art Museum became the most popular museum in the world. When dogs' night arrived again the following year, the dogs climbed into the right paintings. No one understood what happened. It was the dogs' secret. I really liked this book and recommend it to anyone who likes dogs and art. The paintings in this book are all from the National Gallery in London.
August 2, 2007
Painstakingly reproduced masterpieces and perfectly rambunctious dogs bring to life this playful tale of a pack of pickled pooches who slip from their painted homes to bring mischief and mayhem to the National Gallery of London.
More Art on JOMB:
* Victor and Christabel
* I Want A Dog
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
More Art on JOMB:
* Victor and Christabel
* I Want A Dog
Listen to our chat about this book on our JustOneMoreBook.com Children's Book Podcast:
http://www.justonemorebook.com/2007/0...
August 6, 2011
What a fun book! Once a year, the dogs in many famous paintings jump out of their pictures and roam the halls of the art gallery. It's funny how they all went into the wrong paintings and had to wait a year to get back to their "homes" in the originals. I never really took a look at all the dogs featured in famous paintings, but it was an interesting study through a children's book!
January 31, 2016
I like dogs and the paintings.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews