Salati, Doug. Hot Dog. Doug Salati, Illus. Knopf, 05/2022. [40]pp. Picture Book. GRADES Preschool-3. $17.99. 978-0-593-30843-1. OUTSTANDING.
A small, red, short-legged dog is suffering in the city’s summer heat, compelling the older white lady owner to decide that they must go to the beach. The text is brief: “City summer, steamy sidewalks, concrete crumbles, sirens screech….” with many wordless pages, too. The artwork carries the story, using gouache-and-pencil set into framed pictures, portraying an ethnically diverse city population. There are spreads with one large illustration, but many have two or more of the framed pictures, all with the title pet as the main focus. The color palette moves from red and orange in the city scenes, to blues and tans for the ocean and beach. The frames disappear in the beach scenes, indicating the freedom the characters are feeling. This evocative celebration of the joys of going to the beach will be a great readaloud for summer storytimes.
Penny Peck—San Jose State University iSchool