My Dog Has Fleas: A Ukulele Misadventure

by Bob Barner

Overview

Grab a ukulele and sing along as a dog-owner tries to help a pack of itchy dogs, with tips on how to tune and play your uke and more!

I play ukulele and my dog sings along
Her friends all wag to our rocking song

A ukulele-playing dog owner sings about a group of sad flea-bitten dogs as they flee from their treatment and cause comical havoc. By the end of the song, order is restored, and itches abated. As the pack starts to feel better, the furry friends overwhelm the singer with gratitude.

Written by an author-musician, the book features a mnemonic device and other tips for how to tune and play a ukulele. Sheet music and a brief history of ukes are also included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823446421
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/03/2021
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.90(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Bob Barner has written and illustrated more than twenty-five books including Fish Wish, Day of the Dead/El Dia de los Muertos, and Go, Go, Go, an I Like to Read® book. His work has received the Parents' Choice Award and the Teachers' Choice Award. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area.

Editorial Reviews

07/05/2021

Inspired by the ukulele tuning melody “My Dog Has Fleas,” included in the front matter, this humorous narrative features a curly-haired, tan-skinned ukulele player and their unnamed spotted, floppy-eared white dog. When the dog flees with a motley pack of fellow flea-infested canine friends, the narrator plays the ukulele, which inspires them all to come rushing back after running through trees and splashing in ponds—just in time for a bath. Employing onomatopoeia and the titular refrain, Barner leads readers through a rhyming adventure: “I beg my pooch, stop running please./ Woof! Woof! Woof! My dog has fleas!” Hazy, amorphous colors rendered in soft, near-pastel hues pop against plenty of white space as fine-lined ink and Japanese brush pens outline simple, comics-style canines. A fun and instructive romp. Back matter includes ukulele anatomy, the history of the instrument, and the full song and chords. End papers feature different types of ukes and their measurements. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Hazy, amorphous colors rendered in soft, near-pastel hues pop against plenty of white space as fine-lined ink and Japanese brush pens outline simple, comics-style canines. A fun and instructive romp."—Publishers Weekly

"Get ready for a rollicking, musical, flea-bitten read! . . . A nifty preschool read-aloud that blends early musical instruction with just plain fun." —Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

05/14/2021

K-Gr 2—A child plays the ukulele while a dog (and a menagerie of dog friends) sings along. Soon the dogs begin to itch, and the chase is on to catch them for flea baths. "We run up hills and down the trails, grabbing at leashes and zigzagging tails." The rhyming couplets are paired with pen and ink drawings and spots of colored pastels that display the playful romp across double-page spreads through the book. Finally bathed, the ukulele players strike up their favorite tune, aptly titled "My Dog Has Fleas." Front and back matter provide more detail on ukuleles and the history of the titular song as a melody used for tuning. VERDICT A fun though slight story centering on a tuning song familiar to ukulele players. An additional purchase for picture book music shelves.—Ramarie Beaver, formerly at Plano P.L., TX

School Library Journal

2021-06-02
Get ready for a rollicking, musical, flea-bitten read!

A young child with beige skin and curly, reddish-brown hair has an energetic dog who loves to romp with lots of doggy friends. Inevitably, the pooch contracts fleas at the park that “Chew! Chew! Chew!” and send all the dogs zooming, upsetting a picnic before splashing into a frog-filled pond. Such rowdy dogs! Told in first person, the exuberantly rhyming text recounts the exciting adventure, which culminates in a sudsy bath and a song: the titular “My Dog Has Fleas.” The child and friends play the song on ukuleles to the delight of all the dogs. Backmatter includes the history of the ukulele as well as tips and tricks on how to play the chords as well as the full lyrics to the song. Illustrations convey the energy and humor of the story through close-up perspectives, at dog’s-eye level, of the action. Full of pastel colors dotted with black specks that may convey the offending fleas, each spread invites a closer look to find all the dogs, individually named on an early spread. A later, parallel spread shows a ukulele up close, with all the parts individually labeled, as well as a few of the dogs. Simple, swift lines effectively convey the different personalities of each canine, bringing them all to life.

A nifty preschool read-aloud that blends early musical instruction with just plain fun. (Picture book. 3-5)

Kirkus Reviews