Two Dogs

by Ian Falconer, Ian Falconer (Illustrator)

Overview

From Ian Falconer, Caldecott Honor winner and #1 New York Times bestselling creator of the Olivia series, comes a dashingly delightful picture book about two unforgettable dachshunds and their search for fun!

Dachshund brothers Perry and Augie are home alone and desperately want to get outside and have a good time. Augie is the cautious one, the worrier; Perry is pure joy and excitement. When they finally manage to open the back door, mischievous adventures begin! Soon they’re diving into the swimming pool, digging an enormous hole, and more! Will all return to normal before their owners come home?

This witty and utterly heartwarming story plays perfectly off the exquisite illustrations. These are Ian Falconer’s first all-new characters since Olivia, and Two Dogs is sure to equally capture the hearts of readers everywhere.

Perfect for fans of imaginative dog books like Bark, George and A Ball for Daisy!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062979247
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	06/28/2022
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	56 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stage designer and artist Ian Falconer didn't initially set out to write books for children, but an impromptu gift for his young niece became the adored Olivia series. "She's not really a bratty character, but she does get away with a lot," Ian Falconer admits in our video interview when describing the precocious piglet that stars in his bestselling books.

Hometown:

New York, New York

Date of Birth:

August 25, 1959

Place of Birth:

Ridgefield, Connecticut

Education:

Studied art history at New York University and painting at Parsons School of Design and Otis Art Institute

Editorial Reviews

★ 03/28/2022

In Falconer’s (Olivia) new picture book, Perry and Augie are matching dachshund housemates—lithe, hilarious, and terribly bored. Left alone inside all day, they squabble. Perry steals Augie’s ball (“The ball was very important to Augie”); Augie gets revenge via piano (“PLEASE, AUGIE, NO! NOT THE PIANO!”), pounding the keys as black bars of music thunder across the page. Desperate for adventure, they break out into the garden. An afternoon of guilty pleasure unfolds, from rolling in raccoon poop to discovering a small hole to excavate: “Then they heard the car drive up.” Falconer’s spreads not only share the sly wit of his previous piglet heroine’s exploits; they offer beauty, too, in classically drawn forms (“Indeed, they look like little Roman emperors,” the opening sequence observes) as the dogs romp across crisp, full-color backgrounds of grass and greenery in an exuberant display of canine choreography. The artist’s insight into the inner lives of dogs (“Hurl yourself at the door and bark!”) and gift for capturing their characteristic movements tick all the visual storytelling boxes, making this dachshund’s-day-out story a delight. Ages 4–8. Agent: Conrad Rippy, Levine Plotkin & Menin. (June)

Publishers Weekly

This impeccably choreographed ballet is sure to produce cries of ‘Encore! Encore!’”
— New York Times Book Review

"A snug, funny round of hijinks by low dogs." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"The artist’s insight into the inner lives of dogs (“Hurl yourself at the door and bark!”) and gift for capturing their characteristic movements tick all the visual storytelling boxes, making this dachshund’s-day-out story a delight." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Kids will no doubt laugh along with these raucous doggies' hijinks.
— Entertainment Weekly

From the Publisher

★ 2022-03-30
Housebound wiener dogs Augie and Perry get up to no good when left on their own.

Posing his pooches on four legs or, anthropomorphically, two (or even, at the beginning, as busts on stands), Falconer takes a break from his long-running Olivia series to proffer as winsome a doggy duo as ever was. Drawn with great and often hilariously expressive precision—and frequently placed on entirely blank backgrounds to call attention to the fact—the two dachshunds appear at first glance as dignified as “little Roman emperors.” Appearances can be deceiving, though: “Most of the time Augie looked more serious. Perry was all over the place.” As their human family, never seen (except once as light-skinned hands), is gone all day at work or school, the dogs look for ways to relieve their boredom…first by tussling over a ball, then by figuring out how to open the back door to an exciting world of flowers to water, a pool to splash in, and, best of all, a lawn to excavate (“Dachshunds love to dig”). The sound of a car pulling in may touch off some momentary panic (“We’re going to get in TROUBLE, Augie!”), but dachshunds are also smart enough to run back inside and exude innocence convincingly enough to earn treats rather than punishment. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A snug, funny round of hijinks by low dogs. (Picture book. 5-7)

Kirkus Reviews