“Dodsworth wanted adventure.” – opening line of Dodsworth in New York
I love my kids like crazy. I also love to travel to other countries. However, I don’t combine these two loves. Traveling internationally with my kids is just not something I’ve done! To be honest, that sounds super intimidating.
I still want them to know about other places, however, even if I’m not up to navigating the Underground with them in tow. Thankfully, there are books like the Dodsworth series to introduce them to other places!
Dodsworth in New York, Dodsworth in Paris, Dodsworth in London, Dodsworth in Rome, and Dodsworth in Tokyo follow the adventures of Dodsworth and a duck around the world.
I first read aloud this series to my son when he was only 18 months old. Recently, I read the series aloud again now that he is five years old, and my daughter is two. Both times, these books were big hits.
Check out the video review to find out what I liked and didn’t like about the books, what ages it would be good for, and anything questionable that you need to know about before picking this series up.
You can scroll past the video for just the bare book details. If you don’t watch the video, make sure to scroll down to read the Special Considerations section so that you aren’t blindsided by something in the book that might be a touchy subject for some people. (Honestly, though, the video review is much more comprehensive, and it’s only a few minutes long.)
Title: Dodsworth in New York
Author and Illustrator: Tim Egan
Series: Dodsworth in…, Book 1
Details: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Oct 19, 2009
Number of Pages: 48 pages
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Average Chapter Length: 11 pages
Picture Frequency: large picture on every page
Title: Dodsworth in Paris
Author and Illustrator: Tim Egan
Series: Dodsworth in…, Book 2
Details: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2008
Number of Pages: 48 pages
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Average Chapter Length: 12 pages
Picture Frequency: large picture on every page
Title: Dodsworth in London
Author and Illustrator: Tim Egan
Series: Dodsworth in…, Book 3
Details: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Nov 16, 2009
Number of Pages: 48 pages
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Average Chapter Length: 11 pages
Picture Frequency: large picture on every page
Title: Dodsworth in Rome
Author and Illustrator: Tim Egan
Series: Dodsworth in…, Book 4
Details: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2011
Number of Pages: 48 pages
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Average Chapter Length: 11 pages
Picture Frequency: large picture on every page
Title: Dodsworth in Tokyo
Author and Illustrator: Tim Egan
Series: Dodsworth in…, Book 5
Details: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Apr 16, 2013
Number of Pages: 42 pages
Number of Chapters: 4 chapters
Average Chapter Length: 10 pages
Picture Frequency: large picture on every page
Special Considerations: Duck, Dodsworth’s traveling companion, makes a lot of poor choices. He runs away, takes things that aren’t his, and just acts crazy a lot of the time. It’s nothing horrible, but you should know that the duck is not a great role model!
My Thoughts: I recommend this book for any age! Because of the many pictures and the fact that only two characters have names, it would be a perfect first chapter book for any child. I love the fact that the stories take place in different cities and showcase the landmarks of that location. I highly recommend this series!
Even though I might not take my kids overseas, I’m glad we get to learn about some of these amazing cities together! And, who knows, maybe someday I will work up the courage (and, let’s be real, the finances) to take them to all of these places we’ve read about!
