Go, Dog. Go! and the Pride of an Independent Reader

A book doesn’t need to be big to have a big impact on a child. For Anjanette, a Youth Services Librarian at Beavercreek Community Library, the early reader Go, Dog. Go! has lasted in her mind. 

“That was one of the first books I could read by myself,” she recalls. “I was so proud I could read that 50-page book—even though it just kept repeating ‘Go, Dog. Go!’”

The book, by P.D. Eastman, shows a variety of dogs in a variety of activities, like driving, riding roller coasters, skiing, and eventually meeting up at a big party in a tree. Along the way, it introduces surprisingly tricky concepts like colors, size, and relative position. Meanwhile, the repeated phrases help to encourage and engage young readers, and lead them to success in reading.

In addition to the satisfaction she got from reading the book, Anjanette has happy memories of the book’s physical place in her childhood. P.D. Eastman was a protégé of Dr. Seuss, so the book was part of a Cat in the Hat Reading Club she belonged to. “Books would come every month and Go, Dog. Go! was one of the first,” she says. “It even had its own holder!”


The Treehouse is a place to celebrate the books we grew up with and what they meant to us. This post was written by Greg L.