Dig, Dogs, Dig: A Construction Tail

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