It Shouldn't Happen (to a Dog)

By Don Freeman and Todd DePastino

Army life didn't agree with GI Albert C. Bedlington, Jr. He felt like he was always crawling on all fours, and one day when the very thing he'd feared for months finally happened — he had become a dog! The fellas all recognized him, so he carried on as usual, going on a furlough, visiting the USO, getting in and out of trouble, and serving with the K-9 corps.
Recounted chiefly in winsome illustrations, this fantasy was written and drawn by Don Freeman, author of Corduroy and other children's books. His witty and unusual take on World War II–era life among the enlisted men and on the home front was hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer as a "fantastic and captivating story" and by the Chicago Tribune as "wonderful fun."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Release date: Sep 15, 2014
• ISBN: 9780486798929

Book preview

IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN

(TO A DOG)

IT SHOULDN’T HAPPEN

(TO A DOG)

Don Freeman

FOREWORD BY

TODD DEPASTINO

DOVER PUBLICATIONS, INC.

MINEOLA, NEW YORK

The Publisher would like to thank Roy Freeman for the use of the illustrations in the Foreword.

Copyright

Foreword to the Dover Edition Copyright © 2014

by Todd DePastino

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

It Shouldn’t Happen (to a Dog) is an unabridged republication of It Shouldn’t Happen—, originally published in 1945 by Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York. Todd DePastino has supplied a new Foreword to this edition.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Freeman, Don, 1908-1978.

[It shouldn’t happen]

It shouldn’t happen (to a dog) / Don Freeman ; foreword by Todd DePastino.

     pages cm

Summary: Recounted chiefly in winsome illustrations, this fantasy of a GI who’s transformed into a dog offers a witty take on WWII-era life among soldiers and on the home front. Wonderful fun. — Chicago Tribune— Provided by publisher.

eISBN-13: 978-0-486-78210-2

 1. American wit and humor, Pictorial. 2. United States. Army—Military life—History—20th century—Pictorial works. I. DePastino, Todd, writer of supplementary textual content. II. Title.

NC1429.F6677A4 2014

741.5’6973—dc23

2014018925

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

78210701   2014

www.doverpublications.com

Contents

Foreword

what happened to

A Three day Pass

That might at the USO

The Parade

The Decision

The Furlough Train

Arrival in New York

Meanwhile In Washington DC

Back In New York

Home

Back To Camp

Joining up

Enter– the Senator

Foreword to the Dover Edition

At a glance, this first publication since 1945 of Don Freeman’s It Shouldn’t Happen—a book the cartoonist Seth has called an important signpost on the way to the ‘graphic novel’—might seem of interest only to antiquarians or aficionados of comics history. But this book about the adventures of a young man drafted into

Reviews for It Shouldn't Happen (to a Dog)

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a reprint of an adult book first published in 1945. I love Don Freeman as a children's writer/artist and just had to give this a read. It is a political satire/treatise on the racism and segregation he found rampant when he served in the army during WWII. Freeman is a black man and by turning his character into a dog he was able to tell a story he otherwise would not have been able to tell during at this time in American history. Even so, the book was highly controversial and received criticism. There is a very interesting introduction which explains all this and what the themes and symbols of the story are. It is good for its historical value but otherwise, without having read the introduction, I wouldn't have clued into the deeper meaning.