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I Got Two Dogs
Fanny and Blue may not be the smartest dogs, and they may not be the best-behaved dogs, but they are definitely the most- loved dogs.
John Lithgow's bouncy song - in the book and on the accompanying CD - is based on his own family's two dogs. And Robert Neubecker's eye-popping illustrations capture the joy of all things dog .
John Lithgow's bouncy song - in the book and on the accompanying CD - is based on his own family's two dogs. And Robert Neubecker's eye-popping illustrations capture the joy of all things dog .
29 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2008
3 people are currently reading
141 people want to read
About the author
John Lithgow
104 books308 followersJohn Lithgow is a prolific actor with two Tonys, six Emmys, two Golden Globes, and two Oscar nominations to his name. He has starred in the hit TV series 3rd Rock from the Sun, Dexter, and The Crown, and in beloved films like The World According to Garp, Shrek, and Terms of Endearment. Lithgow has appeared on Broadway twenty-five times and in England with both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre. He is also the bestselling author of nine children’s picture books, and his recordings for kids have landed him four Grammy nominations.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
September 2, 2009
This book gets a mixed review. I wouldn't give the text more than 2 stars, and I can't imagine it would ever have been published if it hadn't been written by a celebrity. (It may be better, though, with music - I didn't listen to the attached CD - since, as a friend of mine once said, "You can say anything if you sing it.") What the text lacks, however, the art happily supplies, telling a story of its own which is much more appealing than Lithgow's lackluster verse. The art would deserves 4 stars, hence 3 stars for the book over-all.
December 4, 2008
Cute story about dogs, nothing exceptional but a good romp for dog-loving kids. A nice read-to book. Would work for a preschool storytime.
CD was fun. The song is good for a storytime: has an easy, fun one-line chorus.
CD was fun. The song is good for a storytime: has an easy, fun one-line chorus.
December 4, 2018
This is a funny song with a book that has colorful illustrations of Fanny and Blue in action. Our girls love the song, especially the "ooo ooo ooo ooo" howling/yodeling part. Fun for all ages, and another great book/CD combo from Mr. Lithgow!
May 26, 2024
I normally don’t add books from work but for the second year I’ve had to read this book every darn day. They are always captivated and I’m not bored.
March 21, 2012
Perhaps better known to adults for his stage and screen work, actor John Lithgow has an amazing body of work for children. His picture books are some of my (and my children’s) absolute favorites!
Topping the list for me is The Remarkable Farkle McBride. The story centers around a young boy who is a musical prodigy. He is able to master instrument after instrument with ease, but throws each one away as he becomes bored with it. Through an unfortunate illness on the part of the orchestra conductor one evening, Farkle discovers that it is the sound and experience of ALL the instruments together which brings him joy, as opposed to the mastery of an individual instrument.
The illustrations by C.E. Payne are amazing in their vibrancy and humor. (They remind me of David Catrow with slightly more realistic human facial features.) The text is extremely exciting for several reasons: (1) the melody and rhythm of the words lends itself to read-alouds; (2) the language, while being the opposite of condescending to young readers, is still challenging in vocabulary with words like “beseeching,” “rhapsodical” and “bombastic”; (3) the text contains multiple original examples of onomonapoeia when describing instruments, which offers an excellent opportunity to teach both that specific literary technique, and as an introduction to language as sound, music, and poetry.
The story of Micawber again sees the same team of author and illustrator relate the story of a squirrel who lives in Central Park and enjoys going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One afternoon he sees an art student copying one of the artworks on the wall. This is the first time it has ever occurred to him to think about how the paintings were created in the first place. Intrigued, he stows away in her satchel and accompanies the young student home. Once she is asleep, Micawber, for the first time, experiments with her paints. Using his tail as a brush, he creates his own masterpiece, ties it up with one of the student’s shoelaces and returns home. Once back in Central Park, he converts the upper floor of a carousel into an art museum for the other animals where he shows his growing collection of original canvases.
The same things that are wonderful and thrilling about Farkle exist here in this story about the visual arts. The vocabulary includes words such as “peregrination” and “viridian”. Payne is just as delightful in his illustrations, particularly the image where the student has discovered her shoe–without its shoelace.
Marsupial Sue and Marsupial Sue presents the Runaway Pancake, I’m a Manatee, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College, I Got Two Dogs are additional works by Lithgow.
The Marsupial Sue books are about a kangaroo that wants to be something MORE than a kangaroo, but after traveling to many other areas and trying the ways of several different animals, she determines that being a kangaroo is EXACTLY who and what she wants to be.
I Got Two Dogs is a simple, delightful rhyme about the author’s two dogs with colorful collage-ish illustrations similar in style to those of Todd Parr. I’m a Manatee is a fun, imaginative tale of a boy and a manatee. It can be used for children who are already familiar with and interested in the manatee, or as an introduction to the animal, as well as the dangers to its existence. In my opinion, Mahalia Mouse is the weakest of all his picture books, but it is still a nice little story–just not anything exceptional.
All of Lithgow’s books come with CDs when sold in hardcover. The author usually sings the text of each story on the CD which is great to use at bedtime or in the car.
Lithgow also has music CDs available, which I use at home with my own children, and for my theatre and dance classes. There is an entire Farkle and Friends CD which includes the story of Farkle as well as other pieces of music highlighting orchestral instruments, styles and sounds.
The CDs On the Sunny Side of the Street and Singin’ in the Bathtub contain Broadway and jazz-style songs for children. Some are children’s songs, some songs have the lyrics altered to be extremely silly and appeal specifically to children (and those of us who love music and are children at heart). They are harder to find in retail outlets, but easy to purchase from amazon.com, etc.
Lithgow’s work is for ANYONE who loves language, stories or the arts. I think they are truly brilliant and stand among some of my very favorite books. I highly recommend his work for independent and read-aloud selections.
Topping the list for me is The Remarkable Farkle McBride. The story centers around a young boy who is a musical prodigy. He is able to master instrument after instrument with ease, but throws each one away as he becomes bored with it. Through an unfortunate illness on the part of the orchestra conductor one evening, Farkle discovers that it is the sound and experience of ALL the instruments together which brings him joy, as opposed to the mastery of an individual instrument.
The illustrations by C.E. Payne are amazing in their vibrancy and humor. (They remind me of David Catrow with slightly more realistic human facial features.) The text is extremely exciting for several reasons: (1) the melody and rhythm of the words lends itself to read-alouds; (2) the language, while being the opposite of condescending to young readers, is still challenging in vocabulary with words like “beseeching,” “rhapsodical” and “bombastic”; (3) the text contains multiple original examples of onomonapoeia when describing instruments, which offers an excellent opportunity to teach both that specific literary technique, and as an introduction to language as sound, music, and poetry.
The story of Micawber again sees the same team of author and illustrator relate the story of a squirrel who lives in Central Park and enjoys going to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. One afternoon he sees an art student copying one of the artworks on the wall. This is the first time it has ever occurred to him to think about how the paintings were created in the first place. Intrigued, he stows away in her satchel and accompanies the young student home. Once she is asleep, Micawber, for the first time, experiments with her paints. Using his tail as a brush, he creates his own masterpiece, ties it up with one of the student’s shoelaces and returns home. Once back in Central Park, he converts the upper floor of a carousel into an art museum for the other animals where he shows his growing collection of original canvases.
The same things that are wonderful and thrilling about Farkle exist here in this story about the visual arts. The vocabulary includes words such as “peregrination” and “viridian”. Payne is just as delightful in his illustrations, particularly the image where the student has discovered her shoe–without its shoelace.
Marsupial Sue and Marsupial Sue presents the Runaway Pancake, I’m a Manatee, Mahalia Mouse Goes to College, I Got Two Dogs are additional works by Lithgow.
The Marsupial Sue books are about a kangaroo that wants to be something MORE than a kangaroo, but after traveling to many other areas and trying the ways of several different animals, she determines that being a kangaroo is EXACTLY who and what she wants to be.
I Got Two Dogs is a simple, delightful rhyme about the author’s two dogs with colorful collage-ish illustrations similar in style to those of Todd Parr. I’m a Manatee is a fun, imaginative tale of a boy and a manatee. It can be used for children who are already familiar with and interested in the manatee, or as an introduction to the animal, as well as the dangers to its existence. In my opinion, Mahalia Mouse is the weakest of all his picture books, but it is still a nice little story–just not anything exceptional.
All of Lithgow’s books come with CDs when sold in hardcover. The author usually sings the text of each story on the CD which is great to use at bedtime or in the car.
Lithgow also has music CDs available, which I use at home with my own children, and for my theatre and dance classes. There is an entire Farkle and Friends CD which includes the story of Farkle as well as other pieces of music highlighting orchestral instruments, styles and sounds.
The CDs On the Sunny Side of the Street and Singin’ in the Bathtub contain Broadway and jazz-style songs for children. Some are children’s songs, some songs have the lyrics altered to be extremely silly and appeal specifically to children (and those of us who love music and are children at heart). They are harder to find in retail outlets, but easy to purchase from amazon.com, etc.
Lithgow’s work is for ANYONE who loves language, stories or the arts. I think they are truly brilliant and stand among some of my very favorite books. I highly recommend his work for independent and read-aloud selections.
July 29, 2011
Another pretty cute rhyming book about two dogs that was, in some places throughout the book, very repetitive. I don't know if it's just Julia and me who this irks or what. I get that kids need repetition - in SOME things. They don't need it in a story book that's less than 10 pages long with one to two sentences on each page. Come on.
Had I seen the authors name and noticed it was an actor I'd have left it in the library and I think this taught me to take a better look because while it didn't suck it really isn't anything great.
7/28/11 update: This was the first book we'd read by Lithgow and as one can see from my rating and review I wasn't overly impressed. However, I promptly forget ever read this or anything by Lithgow (or even knowing he was a children's author) and Julia and I found a couple of other of Lithgow's books over the last few months. And we both loved them. Micawber is absolutely fantastic, as is Lithgow's Mahalia Mouse Goes to College: Book and CD.
Had I seen the authors name and noticed it was an actor I'd have left it in the library and I think this taught me to take a better look because while it didn't suck it really isn't anything great.
7/28/11 update: This was the first book we'd read by Lithgow and as one can see from my rating and review I wasn't overly impressed. However, I promptly forget ever read this or anything by Lithgow (or even knowing he was a children's author) and Julia and I found a couple of other of Lithgow's books over the last few months. And we both loved them. Micawber is absolutely fantastic, as is Lithgow's Mahalia Mouse Goes to College: Book and CD.
July 24, 2018
It's hard to think of John Lithgow without conjuring up his many acting roles. For me, it's his terrifying run as Arthur Mitchell in one of the later seasons of Dexter. But Lithgow is also a successful and prolific children's book author... who doesn't actually kill people.
His latest, I Got Two Dogs is a quirky little book with simple, rhyming text. The digital art delivers all the action and energy of Fanny and Blue, the narrator's dogs. But set against solid backgrounds, the frantic and messier strokes don't feel too busy, just active.
The book comes with a CD on which John Lithgow performs the song. His performance is amazing. He has all the skill of a Sesame Street cast member, breaking the fourth-wall and involving his audience. A chorus of kids can be heard modeling how to participate in the song.
---
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
His latest, I Got Two Dogs is a quirky little book with simple, rhyming text. The digital art delivers all the action and energy of Fanny and Blue, the narrator's dogs. But set against solid backgrounds, the frantic and messier strokes don't feel too busy, just active.
The book comes with a CD on which John Lithgow performs the song. His performance is amazing. He has all the skill of a Sesame Street cast member, breaking the fourth-wall and involving his audience. A chorus of kids can be heard modeling how to participate in the song.
---
I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
June 3, 2016
I loved it. It's fun. It's funny. The illustrations are great. It keeps your interest with the catchy rhymes. Then, as if I needed an additional selling point, there is a CD.
Oh my goodness, I fell in love with John Lithgow all over again. What a fun and catchy song! Kids can listen to the song and use the book to help them with their sight reading. It's genius.
If you need any more selling points:
1- The book is about dogs. All kids love dogs.
2- The book can be used for a great comparison lesson. How are the two dogs the same? How are they different?
3- The book could be turned into a really fun skit or puppet show.
4- Kids can participate with the well placed OOOOOO's.
I give the book 5 stars. Caroline (my 4 year old) on the other hand gives it 6. Six out of five.
Go to the blog to watch her reading it yourself.
http://inloveathome.com/2013/09/19/i-...
Oh my goodness, I fell in love with John Lithgow all over again. What a fun and catchy song! Kids can listen to the song and use the book to help them with their sight reading. It's genius.
If you need any more selling points:
1- The book is about dogs. All kids love dogs.
2- The book can be used for a great comparison lesson. How are the two dogs the same? How are they different?
3- The book could be turned into a really fun skit or puppet show.
4- Kids can participate with the well placed OOOOOO's.
I give the book 5 stars. Caroline (my 4 year old) on the other hand gives it 6. Six out of five.
Go to the blog to watch her reading it yourself.
http://inloveathome.com/2013/09/19/i-...
October 5, 2014
Lithgow, J. & Neubecker, R (2010). I Got Two Dogs Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Library of Virginia
Picture Book Project (Tumblebooks)
Very relatable book for children about a child and his two dogs that he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. The bright colors, font style and rhyming sentences will engage young readers. I would use this grades 1-2 to teach children how technology can be another tool for learning to read. As the words are read, they are highlighted, allowing the reader to follow along with author John Lithgow as he reads the book. Because the story tells how two mischievous dogs love to play with each other, and how their owner loves them, readers of all levels will find this book entertaining and engaging.
Library of Virginia
Picture Book Project (Tumblebooks)
Very relatable book for children about a child and his two dogs that he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world. The bright colors, font style and rhyming sentences will engage young readers. I would use this grades 1-2 to teach children how technology can be another tool for learning to read. As the words are read, they are highlighted, allowing the reader to follow along with author John Lithgow as he reads the book. Because the story tells how two mischievous dogs love to play with each other, and how their owner loves them, readers of all levels will find this book entertaining and engaging.
October 2, 2014
Lithgow, J. (2008) I Got Two Dogs. New York: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Tumblebooks
What a fun, fun book and happy experience to listen to John Lithgow narrate his book on Tumblebooks!! His intonation, inflection and charismatic narration is endearing. This book has repetition, predictability, rhyme, large fun font and bold illustrations. It would be ideal for ages infant to 8, but really can be enjoyed by all ages! This text could be used with a beginning reader as a favorite read aloud, choral read and then independent read. I really enjoyed this book and this Tumblebook experience!
Tumblebooks
What a fun, fun book and happy experience to listen to John Lithgow narrate his book on Tumblebooks!! His intonation, inflection and charismatic narration is endearing. This book has repetition, predictability, rhyme, large fun font and bold illustrations. It would be ideal for ages infant to 8, but really can be enjoyed by all ages! This text could be used with a beginning reader as a favorite read aloud, choral read and then independent read. I really enjoyed this book and this Tumblebook experience!
March 10, 2018
Summary:
This boy has two dogs that he loves very much, their names are Fanny and Blue. They never fight, they are very loyal, they’re always together, and there is nothing he would trade for his great dogs. They are different in their own way, different in gender, size, and sound, but they still are perfect for him. They are the best dogs that he has ever known!
Possible Topics:
1. Shows how crazy dogs can get.
2. Love your pets no matter what!
3. Just like humans, every animal is one of a kind.
This boy has two dogs that he loves very much, their names are Fanny and Blue. They never fight, they are very loyal, they’re always together, and there is nothing he would trade for his great dogs. They are different in their own way, different in gender, size, and sound, but they still are perfect for him. They are the best dogs that he has ever known!
Possible Topics:
1. Shows how crazy dogs can get.
2. Love your pets no matter what!
3. Just like humans, every animal is one of a kind.
December 31, 2008
A silly song ode to dogs.
I don't know what happened, I hated this book when I first read it; I thought the text was horrible and the illustrations were lame. Then, I played the CD and the whole relationship changed! John Lithgow is delicously free in his foolishness and listeners can't stop themselves from tapping to the beat. I can't wait to use this book is story time, if for no other reason than to see kids laughing uncontrollably when they hear Lithgow's raspy doggy howl. :)
I don't know what happened, I hated this book when I first read it; I thought the text was horrible and the illustrations were lame. Then, I played the CD and the whole relationship changed! John Lithgow is delicously free in his foolishness and listeners can't stop themselves from tapping to the beat. I can't wait to use this book is story time, if for no other reason than to see kids laughing uncontrollably when they hear Lithgow's raspy doggy howl. :)
February 1, 2009
Genre: Picture Book
Reading Level: K-4
Theme: Animals, pets
Curricula Use: Read Aloud
Literary elements: Poetry/rhyming text
Text & Pictures: Cute illustrations, lively and readable text, accompanying CD contains hilarious read aloud by author, John Lithgow
Summary: "I Got Two Dogs" is a charming and lively book about a child's love for his dogs, who he considers the best in the world. Sing-songy text makes this great as a read aloud book.
Reading Level: K-4
Theme: Animals, pets
Curricula Use: Read Aloud
Literary elements: Poetry/rhyming text
Text & Pictures: Cute illustrations, lively and readable text, accompanying CD contains hilarious read aloud by author, John Lithgow
Summary: "I Got Two Dogs" is a charming and lively book about a child's love for his dogs, who he considers the best in the world. Sing-songy text makes this great as a read aloud book.
January 21, 2013
I love this story of two dogs (Franny and Blue) that are very loved, however they misbehave and "aren't too smart". My preschool aged niece absolutely loved this book and asked for it to be read to her 1,000 times. . I've also used this in my second grade class. The book comes with an audio recording of the author, John Lithgow singing the book. The rhyming story is catchy and the illustrations are bright and fun. I would recommend this book for younger readers (prek-1).
March 5, 2015
This is a lyrical book, literally. Unfortunately the CD of John Lithgow singing was missing from my library copy. But all the while I read it I wanted to sing it, maybe throw in a little barking and howling of my own. However being a grown up with a sleeping spouse in the house, I restrained myself.
Next time he's awake maybe I can talk him into doing a melodyzing harmonizing. He'll probably want hog the howls tho.
Next time he's awake maybe I can talk him into doing a melodyzing harmonizing. He'll probably want hog the howls tho.
May 16, 2016
A book by John Lithgow. Wow! I was surprised that I liked it.
I really enjoyed the content. Lithgow wrote about his dogs and how special they were to him. They might not be special to anyone else, but they were to him and that's all that matters. I loved the messages. The dog doesn't have to look cool or do tricks to be amazing. Lithgow really nailed that on the head.
The pictures were great. The rhyming was good without being cheesy. My son enjoyed the book just as much as I did.
I really enjoyed the content. Lithgow wrote about his dogs and how special they were to him. They might not be special to anyone else, but they were to him and that's all that matters. I loved the messages. The dog doesn't have to look cool or do tricks to be amazing. Lithgow really nailed that on the head.
The pictures were great. The rhyming was good without being cheesy. My son enjoyed the book just as much as I did.
March 2, 2017
I Got Two Dogs is about an owner talking all about his two dogs, Fanny and Blue. He talks about all the adventures they go on and how much he loves them. Though they may not be smart, their owner still loves them with all his heart and how important they are to him.
I really liked this book. It was a cute book and I can see it being used in my classroom as a library book as well as a book about differences.
I really liked this book. It was a cute book and I can see it being used in my classroom as a library book as well as a book about differences.
January 12, 2009
I would generally never get a book by a celebrity author, but found this deeply discounted at a soon to be closed Borders. And this book is the bee's knees! It has a cute rhythm (although I've yet to listen to the accompanying CD) and wonderful drawings. It has kept Grady's attention for several readings for more than a week now.
November 30, 2009
Cute rhyming piece. I really enjoyed the font. A bit juvenile but as a reader I felt it really added to the story. I also feel that younger reader would be attracted to this large bold print as well. I also think a learner would like the repeating lines in the text. The predictability can help engage them and help them feel successful.
October 9, 2010
A rhyming book (can easily be put with rhythm) about two dogs, Fanny and Blue who create mischief, but there isn't anything they do that would make the author trade them. True story of loyalty.
I defiantly connected to this book because my dog is still a puppy and gets into everything. He drives me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't trade him for the world on a gold platter! :)
I defiantly connected to this book because my dog is still a puppy and gets into everything. He drives me crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't trade him for the world on a gold platter! :)
August 28, 2012
Fun fun fun book. You end up doing a sing-song reading. My son even got into the mix. It's a very simple story but it really resonates with a 3-year old. He would point out Fanny and Blue and note how silly they were. There is a line about how they go together like a Sock and a Shoe. This made my son laugh every time we read it.
February 6, 2017
We found this book at a local resale shop for $2. What an amazing $2 spent! I love the illustrations and the rhyming words. Our son has asked for this book to be read over the past week every night. We just recently adopted our second rescue dog, and our son enjoys pointing out the fact we have two dogs also. The drawings are very true of every dog owner and good for a laugh. :)
May 25, 2018
I’m a singer, songwriter, and parent. And without even listening to the accompanying CD, it was clear to me that this book was meant to be sung. It’s quite fun to sing with your little ones while they look at the pictures. It’s a developmentally strong concept for getting kids into books and music.
October 26, 2008
After watching John Lithgow as a serial killer in Dexter he will never get a bad review from me :). Love you Mr. Lithgow!!
Cute rhyming story about someone who has two dogs and how different they are. Good read aloud for small children.
Cute rhyming story about someone who has two dogs and how different they are. Good read aloud for small children.
November 5, 2008
Really, what put this book from 3 stars to 4 was Robert Neubecker's illustration of a dog rolling around in the leaves. I don't think I've ever seen an illustration that more accurately portrays doggie bliss. Overall, it's a really cute book.
May 29, 2009
Cute and lighthearted book - I have two dogs myself so I appreciated the book a bit more for that, I think. I am sure the cd is great as I have listened to other JL cds (his cover of Inchworm on his first cd is terrific) but did not listen to this one.
April 20, 2013
I think it is a must love dog book. It is best on CD when reading or attempting to sing it does not do it justice. While John Lithgow singing adds humor and fun that kids just love. If you introducing something on dogs or want a fun sing along story for circle time this is a must have.
Read
July 21, 2014I know this came with a CD but it was missing out of my library copy so I have a feeling I would like this better if I heard the song too so I will refrain from giving this a star rating at the moment.
December 27, 2013
I give John Lithgow's "I Got Two Dogs" a five because it is a wonderful, uproarious story-time read (You can read it but will be compelled to sing it!), and the included cd with Lithgow setting the text to music made me smile from ear-to-ear.
February 11, 2015
This is one of my favorite books to read aloud. In my storytime programs. Children love helping me read the repeated phrases and howling along - GREAT for teaching phonological awareness. Read my review on VBPL Recommends: http://vbplrecommends.blogspot.com/20...
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