If Dogs Run Free

June 17, 2013
“If Dogs Run Free,” from the 1970 album New Morning, is Dylan’s version of a novelty song: a goof on a ’50s-style mashup of piano jazz and spoken word (“If dogs run free, then what must be/ Must be, and that is all./ True love can make a blade of grass/ Stand up straight and tall”). It inspires the talented Campbell (East Dragon, West Dragon) to create a benevolent, retro-ish watercolor universe of cross-species friendships and endlessly fun things to do, with a wide-eyed and inexhaustible girl, her younger brother, and their pet dog as ringleaders. When Dylan muses, “If dogs run free, why not me/ Across the swamp of time?” Campbell offers an aquatic orchestra of sorts, as the main characters are joined by a host of frogs, waterfowl, turtles, and dogs, all floating on logs, lily pads, and a cooperative crocodile while they sing and play musical instruments. But despite the succession of lively scenes Campbell paints, without Dylan’s ironic, gravelly delivery and the knowing accompaniment, the text comes off as opaque. Ages 4–8.

July 15, 2013
The lyrics to a 1970 Dylan song serve as the text for this quirky ode to children and dogs running free, doing their own thing. Through his appealing watercolor illustrations, Campbell has done a fine job creating a coherent, imaginative story from Dylan's poetic lyrics. A little girl who serves as the narrator leaves the house with her younger brother and their dog for a day of adventure. They run off to an imaginary world with a huge park filled with dozens of dogs, skip across lily pads in a pond filled with animals playing instruments, and fly up into the sky, "blowin' in the wind" via bouquets of balloons. Dylan's sophisticated phrases might be difficult for literal-minded children, causing them to struggle with the meaning of a "tapestry of rhyme" or "the cosmic sea." But taken as a whole, the slightly mystifying text and the bouncy, happy kids and dogs sliding through space and time meld together into a satisfying tale, with undeniably cute canines and children running free and enjoying life, on their own like rolling stones. Dylan is known as the poet laureate of rock music, but will his whimsical, metaphorical lyrics capture a child's attention? As another Dylan song recommends, "Don't think twice, it's all right." (Picture book. 3-6)

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November 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-This illustrated version of a lesser-known Bob Dylan song focuses on the joys of a carefree childhood. A girl and her younger brother wander through their day, have adventures on the playground, make mischief at a swamp, and gaze at the night sky. Along the way, more and more dogs join their play. The sweet, simple concept falls short, though, with peculiar lyrics that may not resonate with young readers. The humorous watercolor illustrations, while full of detail, are marred slightly by the characters' stylized expressions.-Laura Stanfield, Campbell County Public Library, Ft. Thomas, KY

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