Dog Day

Hayes, Sarah. 2008. Dog Day. Ill. by Hannah Broadway. New York: Straus Giroux.

Imagine going to school and finding that your teacher is a dog! That's the premise of this amusing new book. Ben and Ellie's new teacher, Riff, shows the class such useful skills as sniffing, tail wagging, barking and more. The children take P.E., nap, and receive a surprise visit from the principal, Mrs. Pink.

The humor in Dog Day is completely in the artwork. This is Hannah Broadway's first picture book. Her style is simple and funny. There is no description of the medium used in the front or end papers, but she appears to use pen and acrylics, each character outlined in black. The features are mere dots; the children's moods are understood by their word bubbles and goofy mannerisms as they shake, pant, and wag their bottoms. Some collage art is used, in depicting denim jeans, wood flooring, and other textured surfaces. Hannah Broadway should have a good future in children's' book illustrations.

This would be a great choice for storytime. It invites participation, as children can act like dogs with Ben and Ellie. Only the choice of the word "poo" ("What's that smell? It smells like poo.")might deter me from reading this very cute story to a crowd.