Dog Loves Drawing

I read Louise Yates' first book about Dog, Dog Loves Drawing, for Cybils in 2010 (oddly enough, for some reason I seem to have thought Dog was female. But apparently she is a he. Oh well, it doesn't really matter). I thought the illustrations were lovely, but I'm prejudiced against "I love books" books.

However, I love sentient drawing books, a la Harold and the Purple Crayon so this one was right up my alley and I bought it right away for the library.

Dog still loves his books and his bookshop, but one day he gets a package with a blank book. It's from his Aunt Dora, who encourages him to write his own adventures. He starts with a door, then some doodles, then he draws some new friends and the adventures begin. Sometimes they get a show more little scary, but he can always draw himself out of trouble and there's a happy ending for all.

What I really liked about the illustrations in this book was the simple, child-like nature of Dog's drawings. They're markedly different from the expert illustrations that set the scene and Dog himself, and they look as if a child could draw them, but they're still professional and beautiful. It adds to the story to see the original drawings as the "real" world and Dog's stick drawings as the art.

Verdict: A lovely story that children and parents will enjoy, whether or not they are "artistic." I like that the book encourages doodling!

ISBN: 9780375870675; Published 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by publisher (used in fundraiser for colleague. it's a long story); Purchased for the library show less

"Dog Loves Drawing" by Louise Yates is a great book to show your readers that everything is possible if you use your imagination. The dog was so excited to receive a book from his aunt in the mail and when he opens the book, its blink.(its a sketchbook) He starts drawing in it and before you know it he is in another world filled with many new friends and surprises. This is a great book to share with students to get excited about drawing and creating their very own sketchbooks. The illustrations in the book are great and it even looks as if the pages are actually doodled on. The supplies being used in the book look so realistic on the pages. The text in the book is spread out all over the pages making it really fun to read.The use of show more ellipses keeps you on the edge of your seat because you are so excited to turn the page and find out what is going to happened next. This book could be used as an example for a lesson about creative thinking and using your imagination to think of a story. show less

Dog Loves Drawing is a great book for an art class or for your students to see creativity. The book is full of color and is all drawings, not like a normal books drawings though, this book is made to look like a sketchbook. I picked this book out because of its different illustration technique and was pleasantly surprised when I came to read it. The drawings are easy enough for a primary student to draw, but also complex enough to challenge them. I would argue that the illustrations are the most outstanding element of the book. Throughout a few of the pages other concepts are also brought in through the drawings, examples of this would be the drawing of tic-tac-toe, cylinders, and tallying. When doing a little research on this author I show more also found that Louise Yettes has other Dog Loves books, such as Dog Loves Counting and Dog Loves Books. These series could be used throughout the classroom when teaching different concepts. It would get the kids excited to remind them Dog will be coming back to the classroom soon. show less

Harold and the Purple Crayon was one of my favorite books when I was little, so this book appealed to me. A dog who owns a bookshop and loves to draw and use his imagination - could it get any better?! A sweet, gentle read, suitable for any audience.

An creative story that allows the imagination to run wild. Dog loves books, and his Aunt Dora knows it, so she sends him a sketchbook. Dog knows exactly what do with it as he uses his drawing utensils he draws a door that allows him to enter his own world of imagination. Dog is able to draw friends and places to go.

I love the creativity in this book and the doodle illustrations. This is a fun easy read that students would enjoy. I would like to use this book for an art activity to encourage students' imagination to draw whatever comes to mind, just like Dog.

This is a story about a dog who loves books and receives a sketchbook to draw in. The dog essentially "draws" his own book. The story progresses with each page he draws on and his imagination makes the reader feel like the pictures are alive! I loved the illustrations in this book, they were so adorable!

In this book, after Dog has opened his book store, he receives a gift from his aunt. The gift is a sketchbook. Dog begins to let his great imagination run wild and sketches himself some new friend and goes on an adventure with them. This is a really cute story that can be encouraging for letting the young one's imagination run wild.