Product Description

Oh, no! Someone has stolen the Mona Woofa from the Dogopolis Museum of Art and the police don't even realize that they are barking up the wrong tree when they collar their number one suspect. So it's up to Art Dog, the mysterious, masked painter who roams the streets of Dogopolis, to find the missing masterpiece. Zip! Splash! Smoosh! He paints himself a Brushmobile, and he's off––on a wild and funny chase to capture the dastardly crooks. With the same deft touches of high-spirited fun and adventure that have made Mystery on the Docks and Mama Don't Allow (both Reading Rainbow Featured Selections) such perennially popular stories, Thacher Hurd serves up a new action-packed tale that will delight young readers.

1996 ‘Pick of the Lists' (ABA)
Children's Choices for 1997 (IRA/CBC)
1998 Red Clover Book Award (VT)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111783 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-31
• Released on: 1997-12-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780064434898
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
Arthur Dog, guard at Dogopolis Museum of Art and ardent fan of Leonardo Dog Vinci, leads a quiet life--except when the moon is full. On those nights something happens to Arthur. His eyes grow bright and his fur seems to glisten... and soon he is hatted and masked and out on the streets painting secret masterpieces. No one knows who the mysterious Art Dog is, until the night when Brrringggg! the museum alarm goes off, and Arthur finds himself in the middle of a Mona Woofa heist. Can Arthur extricate himself from this terrible predicament and point the paw at the true criminals? Thacher Hurd's wacky story and fabulously splashy illustrations, with witty nods to many famous artists, would dazzle any young reader. Budding art aficionados, especially, will be thrilled to recognize the works of Pablo Poodle, Henri Muttisse, and Vincent Van Dog, among others. A delightful book! (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From Publishers Weekly
Talk about a dog marking its territory-by day Arthur Dog is a mild-mannered hound who guards the Dogopolis art museum, but when the moon is full, he becomes Art Dog. Donning beret and mask, he takes paints and brushes and fills the back alleys of the city with his murals. Art Dog remains undiscovered until he's framed for the theft of Leonardo Dog Vinci's Mona Woofa. He's thrown in the clink, but escapes with the help of his superpowered medium ("where there were bars, he painted a window"), nabs the real crooks and gets his own gallery exhibit as a reward. Hurd's (Mama Don't Allow; Mystery on the Docks) straight-from-the-tube palette and blurry brush strokes suggest a painter in speedy action; his art-humor-canine portraits based on canvases by Vermeer, Seurat, Picasso and others line the museum walls-is good-natured. His plot, meanwhile, gleefully invokes comic-book conventions: Art Dog drives a streamlined Brushmobile, stops off at the Wile E. Coyote-esque Acme Paint Co. and battles the baddies in a dynamic spread highly suggestive of TV's goofy Batman (enhanced with cutout shapes a la Matisse). A waggish good time. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 3-At the Dogopolis Museum of Art, Arthur Dog guards priceless paintings by such famous artists as Vincent Van Dog, Pablo Poodle, and Henry Muttise. He leads a quiet life except when the moon is full; then he becomes transformed into "Art Dog." Donning beret and mask, and armed with his paint box, he steals into the city's deserted alleys. There, under cover of darkness, he brightens bleak walls with his brilliantly colored paintings of wildlife. When, one night, thieves steal Dog Vinci's "The Mona Woofa" from the museum, the canine uses his art-sensitive nose and sleek brushmobile to find the culprits. In perhaps the brightest double-page scene ever painted-an open pastiche on Matisse-he is shown subduing the crooks with paints and slashing brush. The museum tries to honor Art Dog for his bravery, but this superhero of the dog world prefers to remain anonymous and finish his painting of the city's night sky. Hurd infuses every page of this book with dramatic watercolors. The accompanying story is light and brief, and moves this superdog through his adventures as adroitly as it does readers.?Virginia Golodetz, St. Michael's College, Winooski, VT
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Customer Reviews

Who is Art Dog?
By day, Arthur Dog, Dogopolis Museum of Art security guard, and lover of paintings by Vincent Van Dog, Pablo Poodle, Henri Muttisse, and Leonardo Dog Vinci. By night, Art Dog, masked grafitti artist painting the city in beautiful color. "No one knew who Art Dog really was... until one night at the museum." Yikes! Someone has stolen the Mona Woofa! After being falsely accused, Art Dog paints his way out of jail, lifts his nose in the air..."I can smell art a mile away," and saves the day in superhero fashion..... Thacher Hurd has authored an entertaining, wacky picture book that's sure to tickle the funny bones of young and old alike. His delightful, high-spirited text begs to be read aloud, and is full of terrific sound effects, wordplay, and dog puns. But it's his bold, bright, and splashy illustrations that really make this book stand out and sparkle. Perfect for youngsters 4-8, Art Dog is a funny, engaging, rip-roarin' adventure you don't want to miss. "Who was Art Dog? Who was this painter in a Brushmobile, catcher of crooks, bringer of light to the Dogopolis night?" Only readers will know!

Woofunderful book!
"Art Dog" is a wigglin' fun story book about Arthur Dog, the security guard at Dogopolis Museum of Art. He lives a secret life as a graffitti artist who finds himself being blamed for the stolen "Mona Woofa". However, he is able to paint his way out of...well, I can't give away the story here! (This detective dog sure is smarter than Scoobi Doo!)

The story is very short, quick, and barkingly fun. Not only will kids love it, but adults will love the depictions of Vicent Van Dog, Pablo Poodle, Henri Muttisse and others. It is dog-gone worth the few bucks for this book. This sure is a good book to sniff out.

Wish there were more kid's books like this
I've read this to my six-year-old since he was a five-year-old - he doesn't get tired of it, and mercifully, neither do I. The idea of a hero who uses _painting_ instead of punches to win the day is so cool it makes me wish I'd written it.
Also, I take my son to the children's floor at Berkeley Main Library, where they have a kid's size version of the Brushmobile (you'll have to read the book to know what that it) that he's loved to 'ride in' even before we'd found the book. The day he no longer fits behind the palette, I think we'll both cry.