Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 1--One sleepy day, a dog is lounging on the deck of a boat moored beside a long pier. Suddenly, dozens of varied canine companions run toward the boat, preparing to set sail and explore their world together. The first stop is a diving trip to discover secrets at the bottom of the sea. Next, they don spacesuits and travel in a rocket to the moon. Finally, they parachute back to Egypt, where they uncover an unexpected creature buried beneath the desert sand. This early reader book is similar in design to P.D. Eastman's Go, Dog. Go! and it is charmingly familiar in its plot and structure. Short, repeated, predictable phrases move readers through the story, encouraging confidence as young children learn to read independently. Though the quantity of text is limited, the story is well-designed within the context of its simplicity, and it provides a complete narrative to satisfy fledgling readers. Watercolor illustrations depict the dogs in a range of entertaining action poses, providing delightful supplemental information to the text itself. Myriad details are included in the illustrations; these simultaneously enhance overall textual awareness while engaging readers with more than the text alone. A guide on the book's back cover gives teachers and caregivers a sense of the target audience to help them determine the appropriateness of the book for their students. VERDICT This action-focused early reader story will appeal to dog lovers, while enhancing their reading confidence as each page is turned.--Mary Lanni
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