Dig, Dogs, Dig

April 8, 2013
Fans of Goodnight, Goodnight, Con-struction Site will eagerly dig into illustrator/designer Horvath’s vehicle-centric debut, first in a planned series. Early one morning, the dozen or so canine workers hit the ground running, driving a fleet of big machines to an urban construction site. Horvath’s punchy verse both describes the vehicles (“The loader picks up/ a rocky big bite/ and moves out the rubble/ with all its might”) and spurs on the laborers (“There’s trouble in the pit,/ We’ve hit something big./ Get down in the hole and dig, dogs, dig!”). The high points of the story are the unexpected excavation of a giant T. rex bone and the revelation of the finished project: an inviting park whose centerpiece is a display of the prehistoric fossil. Buzzing with activity, Horvath’s crisp, cartoon-styled digital art includes numerous details to pore over (including the delivery of a truckload of ducks for the park’s pond and a cat that darts mischievously around the worksite), giving the book a light comedic punch. Ages 4–8. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

June 1, 2013

K-Gr 1-These dogs aren't your typical backyard diggers-they're professionals. They rise at dawn, chow down on a pancake breakfast, and then jump in their trucks for a long day at work. The kid-pleasing parade of construction equipment ends at their work site, where the crew begins its project. The canines "push and plow," dig and haul, until they hit something in the pit, which requires even more machines, a crane, and a rock splitter, to help dig out... a T. rex bone! Finally, the canines congratulate one another as they watch other dogs enjoy their creation: a city park, complete with a giant dinosaur-bone exhibit. The minimal, pleasantly rhyming text keeps the story moving quickly, although young readers will want to linger over each page, examining the many details and machines in the illustrations. Each piece of equipment is named and its purpose is explained, "The excavator digs deep/with its scoop, /pulling up dirt/with a swish and a swoop," making the book a great introduction for new fans of construction equipment. The bright, cartoonlike digital art fills the pages with movement, while the text presents some pretty nifty rhymes, like "maneuvers" and "earth movers." Beginner and experienced construction fanatics and their grown-ups will love this fun and appealing read-aloud.-Marian McLeod, Darien Library, CT

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 15, 2013
A dozen dogs and one black cat work hard to build a playground in this amusing story that will please kids who love excavators, cranes and dump trucks. The dogs wake up in their dormitory as the sun rises, and after breakfast, they're off to the construction site in their heavy-duty trucks. Each type of construction equipment and its function is described in the rhyming text as the dogs dig a huge pit and excavate a dinosaur bone. As the day goes on, the dogs work cooperatively to construct a playground complete with a dinosaur-bone display, landscaping, trails and a duck pond. Computer-generated, cartoon-style illustrations show cheerful canines and lots of activity at the site, but these dogs are pros, as their heavy equipment is carefully researched (and they always wear their hard hats). The entire construction process is conveyed in an energetic manner that is both entertaining and educational. The crew is identified by name on the endpapers, from Duke, the "top dog" boss, to Jinx, the black cat mascot. No new ground is excavated here, but these cheerful canines build up a charming bond with their intended audience. (Picture book. 3-6)

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July 1, 2013
Hyperactive rhymes roll out the story of a dedicated crew of construction-working dogs. Under the leadership of crew boss Duke, the team hurries to their worksite where a variety of machines await their commands, and then race through their task of building a park that opens at day's end. Digital illustrations capture the pups' frenzy and the quick-moving progress of their project.

(Copyright 2013 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)