Hot Dog by Dan Salati

1. Bibliography

Salati, D. (2022). Hot Dog. Random House Children's Books. ISBN 978-0-593-30843-1

2. Plot Summary

A hot and tired dachshund is over the hustle and bustle of city life. His owner takes him for a break to the beach to relax, unwind, and cool down. They both slow down and take in the beauty of the world. When they return to their city life, they are better able to find their happiness amongst all the chaos. 

3. Critical Analysis

Hot Dog is a simple, yet thoughtful story. It conveys the chaoticess of the lives we lead and how it can be too much. Doug Salati uses few words to tell his story, letting his illustrations be the showpiece. The story starts in the city. The pictures are large and take up almost all the space. There are so many details and things happening that you could look at each page for minutes at time. The pages at the beginning of the book are full of warm colors with an almost messy style of drawing. As the story progresses and the dog and his owner travel to the beach, the colors become brighter, cooler and sharper. This makes you realize that the more chaotic style of the earlier drawings add the feeling of the overwhelmed feelings of the dog. The contrast of the serene beach scenes help you as the reader feel, the tension drain away. 

The characters' faces and expressions tell as much of the story as the words do. There are many pages with no words at all. This invites the reader to look closely at each part of the illustrations to observe what is happening. I think this creates a great source for dialogue with students about what is happening and why. At the end of the story, the dog and his owner are back in their day-to-day lives, but they handle it all better. This is reflected in the colors used in the story and the characters' expressions and body language. 

4. Review Excerpts

• 2023 Caldecott Winner

• Ezra Jack Keats Award

• Kirkus Reviews- “Sparse poetic text also perfectly captures this small canine’s mindset. The dog’s human presents as White; other characters are diverse. You needn’t be a dog owner to identify with this expertly wrought tale of physical and emotional relief”

5. Connections

• Class discussion- Students could reflect on what they like to do when they feel overwhelmed and create a representation of what they do to feel better

• Class activities- Students could make drawings using warm/cool colors to express different feelings or emotions or scenarios.

 Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

1. Bibliography

Gag, W. (1928). Millions of Cats. Coward-McCann. ISBN 978-1-42870-937-9

2. Plot Summary

A very old man goes in search of the perfect cat to keep his lonely wife happy. On his search he finds millions and trillions of cats. Unable to decide which is the best cat to take, he ends up choosing more than he can carry and is followed by the rest of the group. With this many cats, he discovers that taking care of them will be next to impossible. The cats fight among themselves to be chosen as the one the couple will keep before destroying themselves. They leave behind one kitten who isn’t as beautiful as all the others, but the old couple realize that he is the perfect cat for them. 

 

3. Critical Analysis

Millions of Cats is an older generation and style of book. The illustrations are done in black and white. The pictures are detailed but still on the simpler side. There is lots of white space on the pages. The backgrounds are minimal but still show where the story is taking place. They help represent the journey the man goes on in search of the perfect cat.  In today’s book market, it might not be as visually exciting to draw younger readers in. The story could be a little more succinct as the words often outnumber the amount of pictures on the page. But there is repetition of phrases within the story which children find enjoyable.

It’s a sweet story of an older man trying to help his wife feel better with a cat for company. The exaggeration of finding millions and trillions of cats is humorous (and overwhelming) and sparks your imagination of what you would do with that many cats.  The moral at the end is that there is beauty in everything, even things that might not seem like it at first. This is a good, timeless lesson. It could definitely be applied to the world we live in now. I thought it was a little dark that the cats all ate each other in an attempt to be the best and be chosen by the couple. But I still think the overall theme is heartwarming. This is a simple story but it has survived the test of time and is still relevant almost 100 years later. 

4. Review Excerpts

• 1929 Newbery Honor Book

5. Connections

• Class discussion- Students could discuss what they would do with a million cats

• Class activities- Students could create a visual for what pet they would want and what they would need to take care of the pet (food, water, shelter, etc.)

 Dooby Dooby Moo by Betsy Lewin and Doreen Cronin

1. Bibliography

Cronin, D., & Lewin, B. (2008). Dooby Dooby Moo. Spotlight. ISBN 978-1-599-61-423-6

2. Plot Summary

The animals on Farmer Brown's farm decide they want to enter in the county fair talent show. Under Duck’s supervision, they rehearse to compete with their own interpretations of famous songs. Farmer Brown isn’t able to figure out what they are up to, even as he hears them practicing day and night. When they finally compete, the judges are impressed with their musical performances but are blown away by Duck’s song. The animals win the competition, with Farmer Brown being none the wiser, that is until he hears them bouncing away on their first place prize trampoline. 

3. Critical Analysis

Betsy Lewin and Doreen Cronin are the author and illustrator of the Click Clack Moo series. Dooby Dooby Moo and the other books in the series follow the barnyard animals on Farmer Brown’s farm. The main characters of this book (and most of the other ones in the series) are Farmer Brown and Duck. Duck is a funny and interesting main character. He always takes charge of the animals in his schemes. Duck always has grand ideas to the frustration of Farmer Brown. Farmer Brown always seems to be one step behind Duck’s plans. Farmer Brown is always in the dark as to what the animals are doing but we the readers get to follow along on the happenings. The author keeps the final step of Duck’s master plan until the very end of the story to keep the reader guessing along with Farmer Brown about what is going to happen next. 

The style of these books are water color type illustrations. They are colorful and pleasing to the eye. The backgrounds on many pages are left intentionally white to keep the focus on the characters and the text. The backgrounds are used to set the scene for each part of the story and then are gone. The story uses repetitive language to help children have predictable patterns to listen to when reading. They also use lots of animal sounds but with a twist. This is another great way to keep children engaged in the story.

4. Review Excerpts

• School Library Journal- “this story makes a great read-aloud, and fans of the series will be ecstatic to see another episode of mischief in the barnyard”

• Booklist- The clever, deadpan story is fun, but the droll illustrations, strong strokes of black lines washed with watercolors, ratchet the comedy up a notch or two. This amusing picture book makes a terrific read-aloud choice. Parents and teachers will find it well suited to sing-along storytimes.

5. Connections

• Students could think of their own ideas for a talent show or write about what they would want to do in a talent show.

• Students could vote for which performance they liked best. They could also score the performances and give their reasonings why

 The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! by Mo Willems

1. Bibliography

Willems, M. (2008). The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 978-142310960-0

2. Plot Summary

In The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, the Pigeon “talks” with the reader about his new found desire to get a pet puppy. The Pigeon goes through a wide range of emotions trying to convince the reader that he is ready for dog ownership before ultimately realizing that he’s not sure a dog is the right fit for him. But maybe a walrus would be a better fit…

3. Critical Analysis

Mo Willems is the author and illustrator of The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! The Pigeon is a featured character in a series of books. This story is simple and straightforward while still being engaging to all readers. The Pigeon is the only character in this story but he talks and interacts with the reader of the book which makes it engaging for children (and the grown up who may be reading with them). Willems style is minimalistic but still interesting and captivating. There aren’t backgrounds in the pages but each page is a different brightly colored backdrop to the Pigeon. The style that Willems illustrates the pigeon and any other pictures in the story is again simplistic, but it in a way that puts the focus on the Pigeon’s feelings and expressions. This keeps the story fast paced but engaging. The only text is the Pigeon’s speech bubbles. But all of this lends itself to telling an immersive story. You feel, as the reader, you are interacting with the Pigeon. The one sided nature of the text easily encourages a child’s response to the Pigeons many questions, pleas, and persuasions. 

In The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!, the Pigeon goes through a wide array of emotions in trying to convince the reader that he is ready to get a puppy. His mercurial moods and over the top reactions are enjoyable to read. The Pigeon has a child-like sense of longing for a puppy and the reader plays the part of the more sensible “character” of the story. By the end of the story, the Pigeon has come to his own conclusion that the puppy isn’t the right pet for him, allowing the reader to laugh and imagine what hijinks he will get into as he embarks on his next pet adventure. 

4. Review Excerpts

• Kirkus Reviews- “Even though the pigeon may get more than he bargained for, his many fans will find they get exactly what they’ve come to expect: lots of giggles.”

• School Library Journal- “Kids will love this perfectly paced picture book, which offers both the expected (breaking the fourth wall, Pigeon's classic temper tantrum) and a new twist (Pigeon actually gets what he wants? Impossible!).”

5. Connections

• This is the 4th book in the Pigeon book series by Mo Willems. The first was Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.

• Class discussions-What pet would you want to get? What is a good pet to have? Why? What wouldn’t be a good pet to have? Why not?

• Class activities-Students could create pictures or write sentences predicting what they think will happen before they read the book (will the pigeon get the puppy, etc? They could make another prediction for what they think will happen after they read the story (does the Pigeon actually get the walrus, etc).