Hot Dog: --

by Doug Salati

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A treat from start to finish and highly deserved acclaim for Doug Salati's Hot Dog. A perfect illustrious depiction of a summer day, Hot Dog will be enjoyed from the city to the beach, and the mountains to the plains.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2023 CALDECOTT MEDAL • This glowing and playful picture book features an overheated—and overwhelmed—pup who finds his calm with some sea, sand, and fresh air. Destined to become a classic!

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • Publishers Weekly • Kirkus Reviews • New York Public Library

“An utter joy from beginning to end!” —Sophie Blackall, two-time Caldecott Medal winner

This hot dog has had enough of summer in the city! Enough of sizzling sidewalks, enough of wailing sirens, enough of people's feet right in his face. When he plops down in the middle of a crosswalk, his owner endeavors to get him the breath of fresh air he needs. She hails a taxi, hops a train, and ferries out to the beach.

Here, a pup can run!

With fluid art and lyrical text that have the soothing effect of waves on sand, award-winning author Doug Salati shows us how to find calm and carry it back with us so we can appreciate the small joys in a day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593308455
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	594,267
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
File size:	29 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

DOUG SALATI is the critically acclaimed creator of the 2023 Caldecott Medal-winning picture book, Hot Dog. He is also the illustrator of Tomie dePaola's In a Small Kingdom and Matthew Farina's Lawrence in the Fall, an Ezra Jack Keats Honor Book, which the Wall Street Journal described as a "handsome excursion." Doug graduated from the Illustration as Visual Essay master’s program at the School of Visual Arts in 2014 and was a 2015 Sendak Fellow. His illustration work has been recognized by 3x3 Illustration, American Illustration, and the Society of Illustrators. He lives and works in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/14/2022

Set on one sizzling summer day, this remarkable slice-of-life story, a solo debut, stars a copper-hued, city-dwelling dachshund—the titular hot dog. In pencil, gouache, and digital spreads that have a candid feel, Salati (Lawrence in the Fall) captures the city’s crush, and the dog’s plunking down in the center of a crosswalk, refusing to move. But the hound’s human—a white-skinned individual who wears glasses and a fanny pack—knows just what they need. The two grab a cab, then board a train and a ferry. As the images transition from warm to cool colors, and the text moves from vertically set staccato lines to horizontal fare, the duo arrive at “an island... wild and long and low,” where, at last, “a pup can run.” Full spreads open out onto luxurious stretches of ocean, sand, and reeds, where the two share a blissful afternoon. As the dog scavenges and the human rests, vignettes capture the joy of companions who are utterly relaxed in the other’s presence. And when the setting sun precipitates a return home, the gentle introduction of urban blues and greens suggest a better balance as “everyone/ cools/ down.” Employing snapshots of city life that create a strong sense of place, Salati makes smart use of the picture book format to craft a calming portrait of escape and renewal. Ages 4–8. Agent: Erica Rand Silverman, Stimola Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

★ "A calming portrait of escape and renewal." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "[An] expertly wrought tale of physical and emotional relief." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Entirely delightful; a breath of fresh air from start to finish." —The Horn Book, starred review

“Hot Dog captures a much-needed summer excursion that readers will enjoy taking again and again.” – BookPage

From the Publisher

★ 2022-08-31
Cool ocean breezes prove to be the perfect antidote to city burnout in this loving doggy tale.

On a hot summer’s day in a metropolis reminiscent of New York, a middle-aged human and a wiener dog run errands. But today the little dog is feeling overwhelmed by the crowds and the heat. Spare text reveals their unhappiness: “too close! too loud! too much! THAT’S IT!” The dog digs in their heels, refusing to go any further. The owner sympathizes and immediately whisks the little dog away. Not simply off the streets, but from a train to a boat to an island, “wild and long and low.” After a day playing by the sea (and encountering what turns out to be a seal), they return to the city, where the world has cooled down and the two can come home to dinner and a sleep filled with dreams of seals. Salati expertly captures the stifling claustrophobia of hot and crowded city streets. One can almost feel the palpable temperature shift when the colors on the pages move from vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows to blues and greens, like a tonal reprieve. Happily, the book avoids demonizing cities in favor of the country, showing instead how a bad day affects your every sense. Spare poetic text also perfectly captures this small canine’s mindset. The dog’s human presents as White; other characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

You needn’t be a dog owner to identify with this expertly wrought tale of physical and emotional relief. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews