It Shouldn't Happen (to a Dog)

The beginnings of the graphic novel. It's an interesting story but I felt as far as it trying to deliver a message, it was a little hit and miss. I'll admit I skipped the foreword and just read the original book. In the right hands, this could be a useful teaching tool.

'It Shouldn't Happen (to a Dog)' by Don Freeman is an interesting book from another age. The art is okay. The story behind the art makes it worth looking at.

If you have something you want to say, but are not able to, how do you go about saying it? For Don Freeman, a black cartoonist in the military, he saw inequality based on his skin color, but couldn't say anything openly about it. Instead, he tells the story of a soldier who joins the military and gets turned into a dog. We follow the dog as he goes through training and daily army life. We see him go on leave and tries to ride in the front of a city bus. It's not comical, but it is sharp social commentary for a time when this might have been the only way to talk about these things.

I found it to be of historical interest. The introduction is very good, and you get to learn about the artist, Don Freeman. I knew of Don from the children's book Corduroy, but I was unfamiliar with this side of his work. I'm glad I got to read this.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Dover Publications and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

A very enjoyable little volume this – with the help of a fine scene-setting from the introduction (which gives the entire plot away, but you can't have everything) we learn the import of this proto-graphic novel, where a dog-tag wearing rookie in the US army in WWII turns literally into a dog. The fluid drawing style conveys the life of the creature that even the regimentation of the forces does not diminish, although having said that here the scale is very much on the personal and there are no great massed ranks of thousands of recruits. The script – what little of it there is – is fine too, with some quite subtle gags and puns about his canine nature – jumping with joy and declaiming 'hot dog!' at good news, etc. It was a pity that in my e-arc it was hard to work out what order things were in as regards picture and caption – did it serve the picture a click before or the one after? – but I'm sure in paper reality the book will serve to revive a much-missed classic of the form. A really pleasant pictorial short story.

I liked this book. The kids will like it as just a story, but it will mean a lot to our parents who have done a stretch in the military. It's the sort of book that the kids can check out and take home for their parents to read to them, and end up getting the parents interested in reading books on their own.

It took me a little while to remember where I knew Don Freeman's name from, but it clicked while I was reading this. Freeman is the author/artist of the children's Corduoy books -- books about a stuffed bear that I used to read to my children quite regularly.

It Shouldn't Happen (To a Dog), while an illustrated book much like his Corduroy books, is not intended for children. Instead, Freeman writes (and draws) a story based on his military days, drawing (literally and figuratively) on the treatment of the enlisted soldier. The fact that Freeman is a black man compounds the inequality and treatment he receives. But as an enlisted man, he is unable to complain.

In the course of the story, our soldier feels his treatment is so bad that he couldn't be treated worse if he were a dog, and wakes up in his barracks one day, having turned in to a dog. We follow him then, being treated like a dog, yet hardly any different than any of the other soldiers.

Writing/drawing an illustrated story, almost a graphic novel, is a great way to get a message across when you can't speak up. But Freeman's story is not as clear-cut as it could be. Our hero-dog manages to shine as a soldier, but then he winds up AWOL, but then back in the ranks. I'm not quite certain what point Freeman is trying to get across. It's hard to respect and enjoy a soldier, even a dog/soldier, when he is not toeing the line. His exploits as a dog deviate from the sorts of things a soldier typically has to do.

I appreciated seeing some of Freeman's drawing work other than Corduroy and I greatly appreciated the historical look at the United States' military during a turbulent time. Beyond that, though, this just isn't a strong book. While the art looks like it's for kids, the story really isn't. And while the personal, historical look at the military is interesting, it's not really told in a way that would rally history buffs to buy it at the book store. This is the sort of book you hope you can find in a local book store.

Looking for a good book? It Shouldn't Happen (To a Dog) is a fictionalized personal account of life in the military, told through the drawings of a noted children's book author/illustrator, Don Freeman, and may be of some interest to readers of history and military history.

A reprint of Don Freeman's 1945 story. This book will appeal to fans of his children's stories and demonstrate a different side of the author. This reprint is beneficial for readers because of the introduction containing backstory and analysis for a deeper understanding.

I requested this book because I am a fan of the authors. I was not let down with this one. I enjoyed the fact that it was fun and interesting for my kids as well as me. We enjoyed discussing the book after reading it too. Wonderful storyline, with memorable characters.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review via NETGALLEY.

This book was somewhere between a graphic novel and an illustrated memoir. A portrait of racism and soldier's life during WWII, children's illustrator Don Freeman presents an interesting perspective.