Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail
Kids who get starry-eyed over trucks, earth-moving equipment, and construction sites should go gaga over this book, which has a pack of very capable canines scampering around and digging at a construction site. The rhymes on each page are filled with urgency and brawny details (“Down in the pit / there’s some busting to do, / with hammers, a pick, / and a rock splitter, too”). The story spans one day, from waking up at a work-site dorm to the end of the day, when the big reveal of what they’ve been building is made. Horvath’s digital illustrations make the cartoon dogs (and one cat) and the construction equipment pop with bright colors and sharp angles. Both the dogs’ clothing and equipment are presented in loving, kid-friendly detail. And along the way, the dogs make what must be the greatest discovery ever known to dog: a gigantic T. rex bone that’s been blocking the digging. Young fans of Sherri Duskey Rinker’s Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site (2011) better start their engines. Preschool-Grade 2. --Connie Fletcher