Children’s Book Review: Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
The title says it all. Sam and Dave dig a hole. And indeed, that’s all they do. But very strange things happen while they dig.This delightful book layers Mac Barnett’s tongue-in-cheek text with the visual humour of a sight gag, providing the story with alternate interpretations. The words are deceptively simple, deliberately ignoring Jon Klassen’s illustrations. Sam and Dave have vowed not to stop digging until they find “something spectacular.” Their little dog sees much that is spectacular, as will the reader, but the boys do not. One wonders how the joke will play out, but the ending is left tantalizingly open.
Fans of Jon Klassen’s This is Not My Hat will love Sam and Dave Dig a Hole. Simply drawn in earthy greens and browns, his characters dig their way through the pages. The dog exhibits a wealth of emotions simply with his eyes; one can sense the raised eyebrows of disbelief even though he has no eyebrows. As the story progresses, the situation becomes almost ridiculous and will delight both paren'ts and children.
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is a great read-aloud; one that won’t get tiresome after the hundredth repeat. Hint – make sure you look very carefully at the last page…
Penny Draper lives in Victoria, British Columbia. She is the author of the award-winning “Disaster Strikes!” series, historical fiction that places young protagonists at the centre of real Canadian disasters.
The National Reading Campaign publishes children's book reviews under a Creative Commons License. This review is entirely free to reproduce and republish online and in print. Credit must be given to the reviewer and the National Reading Campaign. Reviews can be edited for brevity only. Contact Us for more information.
Comments