Dog on a Digger

by Kate Prendergast, Kate Prendergast (Illustrator)

Overview

Two perennial favorites — canines and heavy machinery — come together in a charming wordless book sure to please readers of all ages.

Dog likes to ride along while his human companion works the big excavator at the construction site. But today, when they stop at the snack bar for something to eat, Dog’s little puppy friend goes missing. Luckily, Dog has a brave and ingenious idea for coming to the rescue — with the help of the excavator, of course! Incorporating bright yellow accents, Kate Prendergast’s wonderfully detailed pencil drawings tell a satisfying story of a loyal, resourceful, and clever pup.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781536200416
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	05/22/2018
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	592,839
Product dimensions:	11.30(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 6 Years

About the Author

Kate Prendergast worked in the transportation industry for years in the United Kingdom. After raising her children, she decided to get an MA in children’s book illustration from the Cambridge School of Art. She lives in the United Kingdom.

Editorial Reviews

Well, it's a curious mix: a gloomy setting, an almost-dinosaur digger, a dash of romance, a touch of peril and a quick-thinking dog…Still, there's a tenderness to the drawings, and one picks up Prendergast's affection for her characters and even for that setting, which in its grimness lends an unexpected sort of credibility to the story. Add Prendergast's convincing sense of how to keep the action moving from one panel to the next, and the young friends with whom I shared this book didn't stop to wonder if the elements added up; they wanted to know what would happen next, and they turned the pages to find out.

The New York Times Book Review - Brian Floca

03/26/2018
In this debut, British artist Prendergast’s pencil drawings don’t jump out at viewers; they’re shaded in a midrange of grays with bolder yellow tints. Yet her wordless story rewards close inspection. A shorthaired dog lives in a trailer with its owner on a construction site. The first panels establish intimacy between the two as the dog leaps into the owner’s bed to wake him. The owner, who operates a digger, climbs into the cabin, and the dog hops up next to him. After a morning’s work, the site’s canteen worker introduces her small pup to the operator and his dog. While the humans talk, the pup runs off, and the operator’s dog soon alerts them to trouble: the pup is trapped out of the humans’ reach. The dog gives the operator the idea of using the digger to rescue the terrified pup, and dramatic spreads follow the successful rescue. The circumstances are just plausible enough to be intriguing, and Prendergast adds further realism to her story by portraying the operator and his dog with naturalistic, expressive detail. The story, with its satisfying, almost documentary feel, might become a bedtime favorite. Ages 4–6. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Done with a variety of panels and full-page spreads, the story encompasses a hero’s journey with adventure, a wise mentor, romance, and a happy homecoming. All cleverly told without a single word!
—Booklist

The circumstances are just plausible enough to be intriguing, and Prendergast adds further realism to her story by portraying the operator and his dog with naturalistic, expressive detail. The story, with its satisfying, almost documentary feel, might become a bedtime favorite.
—Publishers Weekly

The black-and-white pages are enlivened with splashes of sunny yellow that accent the big rigs and hard hats and also signify the urgent barks of distress. This compelling, detailed story will invite and inspire close inspection and lively storytelling.
—School Library Journal

A lively visual tale of friendship and bravery—charming.
—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

07/01/2018
PreS-Gr 2—In this wordless picture book, there is canine drama and suspense on the construction site. A mixture of panels and full-page illustrations relay the action, beginning with the early morning routine of an amiable white dog and his human companion. Donning yellow safety vests, man and dog climb into the cab of an excavator and get to work hauling, digging and lifting. At break time, they have a snack and enjoy the company of the convenience stand owner and her little shaggy pup. When the puppy suddenly goes missing and becomes trapped over a canal, the older dog heroically springs into action, alerting the humans and figuring out a clever rescue plan. Realistic pencil illustrations alternate between close-up scenes that capture the nuanced body language of the animals, and panoramic views of the entire construction site. The black-and-white pages are enlivened with splashes of sunny yellow that accent the big rigs and hard hats and also signify the urgent barks of distress. VERDICT This compelling, detailed story will invite and inspire close inspection and lively storytelling.—Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ont.

School Library Journal

2018-03-18
A little white dog and its human friend use their excavator to rescue a puppy in this endearing wordless picture book.Clad in matching yellow safety vests, a dog and a human live and work together on a construction site, and their specialty is the excavator. After running the equipment all morning, the pair heads to the snack stand to have lunch with the young woman of color who runs it and her puppy. While the humans chat, the little white dog is keeping an eye on the site when cries of distress arise from a drain grate, where the puppy has become trapped. When the dog and its human are unable to reach the frightened pup on their own, the little dog suggests (with a tug on the vest) using the excavator grab to save the day. Prendergast's pencil-sketch illustrations are full of movement and fine detail, using broad panel layout to show multiple angles of perspective and to reveal the full narrative impact of each scene. Even the dogs' vocalizations are wordless, represented by jagged yellow lines that deftly convey urgency. The mostly gray palette is broken up by the assured deployment of bright yellow and blue to draw focus and highlight emotional tension, though the bright-on-bright of light gray and yellow in some of the panels may prove difficult for readers with low contrast sensitivity. The excavator operator has pale skin.A lively visual tale of friendship and bravery—charming. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews