Buchet, Nelly. Dog vs. Strawberry. Andrea Zuill, Illus. Random, 04/2024. [36]pp. Picture Book. Trade $18.99. 978-0-593-64312-9. GRADES Preschool–2. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
When Dog is given a strawberry, she turns the event into an imaginary race by running, jumping, and taunting the strawberry to join in the fun. This unique story uses a text that sounds like a sports announcer describing the race, with play-by-play descriptions of Dog’s actions: “Coming up the backstretch, it’s Dog, connecting with the plant, assuming a formation rarely seen.” The digitally colored ink cartoon drawings add humor, showing the living room setting and the only human from the waist down, similar to the way the parents are shown in Charles Schultz’s Peanuts comics. With a surprise ending, this story will remind many readers of the Aesop fable The Tortoise and the Hare.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool