Go, Dog. Go! is a 1961 children's book written and illustrated by P. D. Eastman.
The book describes the actions and interactions of a group of highly mobile dogs, who operate cars and other conveyances in pursuit of work, play, and a final mysterious goal: a dog party.
The book introduces concepts such as color and relative position with simple language and humor. ("The blue dog is in. The red dog is out.")
Throughout the book, details in Eastman's illustrations seem to invite the reader to notice the deeper significance of small things. In their first appearance, a girl dog asks a boy dog if he likes her hat with its little flower. He does not, so they leave. Several pages later, we meet them again. Now they are riding scooters; she has a hat with a feather. Again, he does not like her hat, but as they part, he has made off with the feather. When we next see them together, they are skiing. The boy dog does not like the long ski cap the girl dog is wearing. They leave as she bids him an angry farewell. In their final meeting her hat is even more elaborate and finally meets the approval of the boy dog; in this way a relationship is developed between the characters despite the simplicity of the text.
In 2003, a musical version of the book was developed for a live performance. This was created by Steven Dietz and Allison Gregory for the Seattle Children's Theatre. This play has been widely staged throughout the US, often as an introduction to theater for young children.
Notes
Go Dog GO! by P.D. Eastman | Children's book read aloud | Storytime With Ms. Becky - Go Dog GO! by P.D. Eastman | Read Along From big dogs and little dogs to red, green, and blue dogs, dogs going up and dogs going fast . . . who knew dogs were so busy? And laughter will...
