That Dog!

by Gillian Shields, Cally Johnson-Isaacs (Illustrations)

The Jones family has a dog, but they ignore him and refer to him as That Dog. “That dog is so smelly,” says Mrs. Jones. But she never gives him a bath. One day, that dog decides that he has had enough. Determined to show everyone how special he is, that dog sets out on his own.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2013

About the author

Gillian Shields was born and brought up in Yorkshire, in the north of England. As she grew up, she had two passions:books and theater. Gillian’s love of books led her to read English at St. Catharine's College, Cambridge. After university she studied acting in London. She then taught in a drama school, the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, for several years, becoming Vice Principal. She recently taught English and Drama at Beechwood Sacred Heart, a girls’ boarding school.

Having children gave Gillian an excuse to carry on reading children’s books, as well as a motivation to write them. She has a son and a daughter, and is married to Brian, who works for the New York Times Media Group.


Hobbies, Interests, and Enthusiasms
I am currently learning Italian (or trying to!) and have a secret fantasy about going to live on the beautiful island of Sicily one day, and having a little stone house with a lemon tree in the garden, and a view of the blue, blue sea! I am lucky, though, because I do live in a fantastic part of England, full of soft green fields and rolling hills and cottages that date back four hundred years.

I like to go for long walks and see the changes that the seasons bring, and I try to imagine how it all must have been years and years ago, and how the people lived. I was brought up in the north of England which is much more rugged and wild—the backdrop to Immortal.

I also enjoy being in the city—although I wouldn't want to live there all the time, it's fun to go window shopping or to big new exhibitions or shows, or just hang out in a coffee shop with a cappuccino and a notebook and watch the busy world go by.

Something I enjoy is painting. I have taken quite a few art classes and find it very creative to work with paint and charcoal and images instead of words, though somehow I can't help adding bits of poetry and scraps of words into my paintings, too… When I was at school, I was completely obsessed by the Pre-Raphaelites, and I love the way their art is so intertwined with poetry and stories. My best friend is an artist and she is incredibly inspiring to me.

I hate cooking but love the idea of being a good cook and welcoming all my friends and family to delicious meals. So I have lots of beautiful cookery books but I never get past the first couple of recipes. Every so often I get madly enthusiastic all over again, but it doesn't last.

When I am writing, I can't listen to music—I find it too distracting, but I love to listen to the radio when I am driving. I listen to pop music in the morning and classical music in the afternoon. That just seems right somehow. My son is really into music, so I enjoy sharing his enthusiasms. At the moment we are listening to Eminem, Akon, NDubz, Chipmunk, Kanye West, plus Greenday, Michael Jackson…the list goes on. My current absolute favorite is Paolo Nutini.

Another interest I have is this amazing charity called The Smile Train which carries out operations for disadvantaged children born with harelip/cleft palate. Sometimes I feel I don't realize how lucky I am, and so it's good to try and do something to help a child on the other side of the world who isn't so lucky. My family also tries to support Sightsavers International, who do simple cataract operations to restore the sight of hundreds of people in the developing world.

On a more self-indulgent note, I love to get to the theater whenever I can, and to the ballet, which I adore. In another fantasy life I would definitely be a ballerina!

I can't imagine getting through a day without reading or writing. I know it sounds a complete cliche, but there it is. I go to a writers' workshop once a week to meet other writers and exchange ideas and read work in progress, and that is hugely important to me. And every spare minute of the time at home I am reading, reading, reading…What would we do without stories?
Education
St Catharine's College, Cambridge University (MA in Englis

Reviews

[Ella · Rating 3 out of 5]

That dog doesn’t want to be ignored by his family anymore so sets out on an adventure for a fun life. He ends up finding lots of people who love and care about him. A nice story to show how friendship and being kind can make people feel, as well as touching on bullying and leaving people out. Children could think about how That Dog feels at different parts of the story and why he feels that way to help them understand how they should treat others. A nice read aloud story for FS and year 1 children.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story about a dog that wants his mean family to notice him. When he realizes that it's not going to happen, he decides to leave and find someone who will notice how amazing he really is.

[K.L. Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a very special dog living in the house of the very miserable Jones family. That dog cleans and rides a unicycle, all while the miserable Jones family bickered amongst themselves and accused that dog of being boring and smelly. Of course, that made that dog sad and it was the last straw. He packed his bags and left.

It didn't take that dog long before he became hungry. So he got a job washing dishes, driving a cab, cleaning stables and picking up trash. Of course, it wasn't long before people started to notice him, unlike the miserable Jones family. That dog made a lot of new friends and was on television during a talent show. It was then that the miserable Jones family noticed him. What do you think happened next?

Author Gillian Shields and illustrator Cally Johnson-Isaacs have put together a funtastic story. Parents and children will enjoy the hilarious illustrations that depict a very active pup and his lifestyle. Easy to read sentences and varied over-sized words make this an engaging read for any beginner. Readers can also learn colors, shapes and find lots of recognizable objects. This cute tale also teaches a lesson in respect and hard work.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love That Dog! Such an amazing little guy. He's a taxi driver, a dish washer, an he even goes to the library and reads EVERY book.

[Bethany Harnden · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rhythmic read aloud and a fun collage filled with real objects mixed into the drawings.