Stick Dog Wants a Hot Dog

Gr 2–4—This silly sequel follows squarely in the paw prints of Stick Dog (HarperCollins, 2013). Watson starts off explaining again why all of his dogs look alike, why none of them look very much like real dogs, and why he doesn't like writing the kinds of stories that teachers would approve of (though this bit is debatable). Then it's on to Stick Dog and his friends-Karen, Poo-Poo, Mutt, and Stripes-as they try to con a hot dog vendor into giving them the contents of his cart. The drawings are expressive, funny, and even manage to be adorable despite their simplicity. The dogs come up with and discard multiple elaborate plans to get their meal and somehow bumble their way into success after rescuing Karen from a laundry-basket mishap. There is far more discussion than action, which makes the story seem to lag, despite the zippiness of the dialogue. Nonetheless, young readers will get a kick out of the animals' thought processes and hilarious explanations. This style of story-part chapter book and part graphic novel-will be a sure hit with children. The funny, self-aware, and light style of Stick Dog will make this second installment welcome in most collections.—Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City