Theme · Dogs
Dog books for children: five picture books, and what research says about reading to dogs
A naughty dog, a lost toy dog, a dog who visits a hospital: dogs run through children's books from the first board book on. Below are five dog picture books with publisher and age, and what is known, and how little, about children reading to dogs.
What research says about children and dogs, and what it doesn't
First, the limits. A systematic review in PLOS ONE looked at children reading to dogs and found 48 reports. Most were expert opinion or case reports, and only one was a randomised trial, of low quality.1
What it found. The authors write that the evidence suggests reading to a dog may have a beneficial effect on behaviours that help reading, such as confidence and motivation. They also write that the evidence base is of low quality and that the mechanisms remain a matter of conjecture.1
What that means for a picture book. A dog in a story is not the same as a dog in the room, and the review does not cover dog books. Whether its findings carry over to reading to the family dog at home is an open question.
Five dog picture books, checked
From a toddler's first dog to a rhyming classic and an early reader. Ages come from BookTrust or Common Sense Media, named for each book.
Oh No, George!
Chris Haughton · Walker Books, 2012 · BookTrust: interest age 2 to 4
George is a dog with a big personality who loves cake, rubbish bins and chasing the cat. After behaving badly while his owner is out, he tries harder on a trip to the park. The question is whether he can resist temptation.
Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
Lynley Dodd · Penguin · BookTrust: interest age 2+, reading age 6+
A rhyming story in which Hairy Maclary sets off for a walk in town with a group of dog friends, until they meet the toughest tom cat in town, Scarface Claw. First in a long-running series.
Dogger
Shirley Hughes · Random House, 1977 · BookTrust: interest age 2 to 5
Dave's toy dog, Dogger, goes missing, and the family searches for him. Dave later finds Dogger for sale at a summer fair, where his sister Bella helps him get him back. A story about a toy dog, for children whose own dog is a soft one.
The Hospital Dog
Julia Donaldson, illustrated by Sara Ogilvie · Macmillan Children's Books, 2020 · BookTrust: interest age 2 to 5
Dot visits a hospital with her owner Rose, comforting patients and their families, and learns to sign hello to Joe, a deaf boy. Written in rhyming couplets.
Go, Dog. Go!
P. D. Eastman · Random House Books for Young Readers, 1961 · Common Sense Media: age 3+, publisher's recommended age 3 to 7 as listed there
An early reader about dogs on the move: up and down, on a Ferris wheel, driving cars around town. It builds to a big dog party in a tree, where a pink poodle's flashy party hat wins over a picky yellow dog.
A dog in the story, a dog on the sofa
The review looked at children reading aloud to dogs. It reports gains in behaviours linked to reading, such as motivation and confidence, and it calls the evidence low in quality.1
A practical way to use it. If your child is shy about reading aloud, they could read a dog book to the family dog, or to a soft toy dog, and see whether the pressure drops. Oh No, George! has a repeated refrain that suits it. This is a suggestion from us, and the research does not test it.
Or a story of their own
If your child should be the hero
- A dog follows your child home from the park and turns out to belong to someone your child already knows.
- Your child and the family dog spend a rainy day finding out where the biscuits, the lost slipper and the neighbour's cat have all gone.
- A dog who works at the hospital shows your child around for a day and teaches a first word in sign language.
Frequently asked questions
- What age are dog picture books for?
- From about two. Oh No, George! is interest age 2 to 4 at BookTrust, Dogger 2 to 5, Hairy Maclary 2+, and Go, Dog. Go! is 3+ at Common Sense Media.
- Does reading to a dog help children read?
- A systematic review of 48 reports found signs of benefit to reading-related behaviour such as confidence and motivation, but judged the evidence low in quality. Stronger studies are needed before anyone can say that it works.
- Is a dog book useful for a child who is afraid of dogs?
- We found no research on this. A book can give a child time to look at a dog from a distance, and Dogger and The Hospital Dog show gentle dogs. Whether it helps depends on the child.
- Can our own dog be in the story?
- Yes. In your idea you can describe your dog, a dog you hope to have, or an invented dog, and say what happens.
Sources
- 1.Hall, S. S., Gee, N. R. and Mills, D. S. (2016): Children Reading to Dogs: A Systematic Review of the Literature. PLOS ONE 11(2).What it confirms: 48 reports, most of them expert opinion or case reports; reading to a dog may benefit reading-related behaviours; the evidence base is of low quality.
- 2.BookTrust Bookfinder: Oh No, George!What it confirms: Chris Haughton, Walker Books, 2012; interest age 2 to 4; the plot.
- 3.BookTrust Bookfinder: Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy.What it confirms: Lynley Dodd, Penguin; interest age 2+, reading age 6+; the plot.
- 4.BookTrust Bookfinder: Dogger.What it confirms: Shirley Hughes, Random House, 1977; interest age 2 to 5; the plot.
- 5.BookTrust Bookfinder: The Hospital Dog.What it confirms: Julia Donaldson and Sara Ogilvie, Macmillan Children's Books, 2020; interest age 2 to 5; the plot.
- 6.Common Sense Media: Go, Dog. Go! (book review).What it confirms: P. D. Eastman, Random House Books for Young Readers, 1961; age 3+, publisher's recommended age 3 to 7 as listed there; the plot.
Other themes: Animals, Autumn, Dinosaurs, Rabbits, Moles, Elephants, Witches, Unicorns, Fire engines, Dragons, Cats, Football, Pirates, Space, Diggers and trucks, Forest and Hometown. Or children's books by age, growing up, topic by topic and all the illustration styles.