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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
J'étais bof-bof... jusqu'à la fin.
J'adooore la fin ouverte. Que de conversations possibles avec les enfants!
J'adooore la fin ouverte. Que de conversations possibles avec les enfants!
This was book talked at a conference for elementary librarians. Supposedly it is a great read aloud and you can use it in a lesson on perseverance or something. I don't get it. At all. I don't see any perseverance in the story, and the only thing I like about the book is that the illustrations are nice and the text is very brief which lends itself to a nice read aloud. I just don't see what the point would be.
Great work from both Barnett and Klassen. This isn't the innocent, simple story one would expect from the title- Observant readers will notice the somewhat creepy ending to this story, in that Sam and Dave may not be back where they started. The philosophical implications are a little bit unnerving.
A "gem" of a book! The humour is on point and children love the reveal on each new page, showing what Sam and Dave are so close to discovering. Observant little eyes like picking up the little details, especially at the end. I did have one or two concerned littlies, wondering if they were going to get arrested at the end!
This was such a great book! Jon Klassen's artwork makes this such an amazing story!
Having to pick one book to discuss as being “exceptional” from a slew of Caldecott medalist and Honor titles is not an easy task!
Although I really enjoyed Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen, and I thought it was exceptional as a story for several reasons, I think Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by the same duo just barely edges it out for being exceptional as a kid-friendly book, in my estimation.
Describing the book using Horning’s terminology, the style of the book is very Klassen, in that it is a blend of abstract and naive. This visual style is deceptively simple, and often serves to highlight very subtle but important visual elements - with just the orientation of the pet dog’s eyes throughout the story, Klassen conveys a variety of thoughts and emotions that clearly convey that the dog is much more aware of what is going on than the main characters (and also suggests a rather “meta” joke in which the dog seems to be breaking the fourth wall).
Neither the fontpages or endpages give specific details of how the art was created (unlike most of the other books, which provide detailed run-downs of the media used to create the images), but the visual elements all incorporate rough texture that is achieved through variations in hue, value, and chroma - none of the images are flat. This seems to suggest painting; some of the gradation seems to reflect brushstrokes. Contrast is used throughout the visual elements to create dominance - for instance, a light gray bone buried under black and dark brown dirt, which causes the bone to “pop” for the audience’s eye. There is a high degree of balance to the images; although the style may feel a bit naive and “dirty”, nearly every image is almost completely bilateral. There is also a harmony to the images, particularly to the gems Sam and Dave continually and narrowly miss digging up, which grow successively larger as the story, and the protagonists, pass them by.
The text by itself is not particularly strongly structured or patterned; however, it couples with the visual elements in a way that I think will appeal to children. The pacing varies throughout the story - there are places with very little text, and others with (relatively) much larger amounts of text, though the total amount of text is pretty short. The text is often aligned so as to draw the eye to particular parts of the illustration. Unlike many of the other books I read this week, the text is (usually) set on its own page opposite the visual elements.
What makes this book exceptional is that the content is clearly designed with young people in mind - who hasn’t wanted to dig a hole to find something “spectacular”? - while also having a layer of humor for the more advanced audience who might be reading with kids.
The central kid-friendly idea of digging a hole is approached with a combination of art that makes the dirt feel real while also conveying a childlike simplicity, but which is augmented with various over-the-top elements that add layers of humor to what could be a very staid, basic concept. First is the fact that the protagonists are able to dig incredibly deep mines in incredibly short amounts of time - it’s almost video-game like (Dig-Dug, anyone?). Second is the side view that provides the audience with plenty of dramatic irony as each decision by the protagonists leads them to miss one spectacular find after another.
But what truly makes this an exceptional story is that for the sharp-eyed reader, when Sam and Dave do finally hit on something spectacular (thanks to the efforts of their dog), they completely miss the fact that they seem to have dug themselves into a different dimension that is ALMOST, but not quite, the same as the one they started from - a realization that only seems to be recognized by that incredibly omniscient (and funny) dog.
This is just one moment of many where the predictability of the story seems low; yet this unpredictability eventually comes full circle to a type of predictability - how many kids have gone digging and actually found something spectacular when they did? Like Sam and Dave, most come away empty-handed, though (like Sam and Dave) their worlds may end up a little different because of their efforts.
Horning suggests we ask ourselves several questions when evaluating a picture book:
“How is the media used to express the action/emotion of the story? Is it effective?” The duller, earth-tone pallete that grows progressively darker as the protagonists dig deeper does an excellent job of visually mirroring the events of the plot.
“Does the art style match the textual style? If not, is there a reason for this incongruity?” Although the text is very simple, and the art appears quite simple and basic, the visual elements add a layer of depth to a story that would otherwise seem quite dull. Additionally, the portrayal of the dog adds quite a few sly nudges and winks to the attentive audience - there were several moments where I laughed out loud at the dog’s portrayal of what I saw as surprised disbelief at the protagonist’s choices. I think to the casual or younger eye, the art and text seem perfectly matched in their simplicity; and to the more discerning viewer, there is an incongruity that adds a playful layer to the tale.
Having to pick one book to discuss as being “exceptional” from a slew of Caldecott medalist and Honor titles is not an easy task!
Although I really enjoyed Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen, and I thought it was exceptional as a story for several reasons, I think Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by the same duo just barely edges it out for being exceptional as a kid-friendly book, in my estimation.
Describing the book using Horning’s terminology, the style of the book is very Klassen, in that it is a blend of abstract and naive. This visual style is deceptively simple, and often serves to highlight very subtle but important visual elements - with just the orientation of the pet dog’s eyes throughout the story, Klassen conveys a variety of thoughts and emotions that clearly convey that the dog is much more aware of what is going on than the main characters (and also suggests a rather “meta” joke in which the dog seems to be breaking the fourth wall).
Neither the fontpages or endpages give specific details of how the art was created (unlike most of the other books, which provide detailed run-downs of the media used to create the images), but the visual elements all incorporate rough texture that is achieved through variations in hue, value, and chroma - none of the images are flat. This seems to suggest painting; some of the gradation seems to reflect brushstrokes. Contrast is used throughout the visual elements to create dominance - for instance, a light gray bone buried under black and dark brown dirt, which causes the bone to “pop” for the audience’s eye. There is a high degree of balance to the images; although the style may feel a bit naive and “dirty”, nearly every image is almost completely bilateral. There is also a harmony to the images, particularly to the gems Sam and Dave continually and narrowly miss digging up, which grow successively larger as the story, and the protagonists, pass them by.
The text by itself is not particularly strongly structured or patterned; however, it couples with the visual elements in a way that I think will appeal to children. The pacing varies throughout the story - there are places with very little text, and others with (relatively) much larger amounts of text, though the total amount of text is pretty short. The text is often aligned so as to draw the eye to particular parts of the illustration. Unlike many of the other books I read this week, the text is (usually) set on its own page opposite the visual elements.
What makes this book exceptional is that the content is clearly designed with young people in mind - who hasn’t wanted to dig a hole to find something “spectacular”? - while also having a layer of humor for the more advanced audience who might be reading with kids.
The central kid-friendly idea of digging a hole is approached with a combination of art that makes the dirt feel real while also conveying a childlike simplicity, but which is augmented with various over-the-top elements that add layers of humor to what could be a very staid, basic concept. First is the fact that the protagonists are able to dig incredibly deep mines in incredibly short amounts of time - it’s almost video-game like (Dig-Dug, anyone?). Second is the side view that provides the audience with plenty of dramatic irony as each decision by the protagonists leads them to miss one spectacular find after another.
But what truly makes this an exceptional story is that for the sharp-eyed reader, when Sam and Dave do finally hit on something spectacular (thanks to the efforts of their dog), they completely miss the fact that they seem to have dug themselves into a different dimension that is ALMOST, but not quite, the same as the one they started from - a realization that only seems to be recognized by that incredibly omniscient (and funny) dog.
This is just one moment of many where the predictability of the story seems low; yet this unpredictability eventually comes full circle to a type of predictability - how many kids have gone digging and actually found something spectacular when they did? Like Sam and Dave, most come away empty-handed, though (like Sam and Dave) their worlds may end up a little different because of their efforts.
Horning suggests we ask ourselves several questions when evaluating a picture book:
“How is the media used to express the action/emotion of the story? Is it effective?” The duller, earth-tone pallete that grows progressively darker as the protagonists dig deeper does an excellent job of visually mirroring the events of the plot.
“Does the art style match the textual style? If not, is there a reason for this incongruity?” Although the text is very simple, and the art appears quite simple and basic, the visual elements add a layer of depth to a story that would otherwise seem quite dull. Additionally, the portrayal of the dog adds quite a few sly nudges and winks to the attentive audience - there were several moments where I laughed out loud at the dog’s portrayal of what I saw as surprised disbelief at the protagonist’s choices. I think to the casual or younger eye, the art and text seem perfectly matched in their simplicity; and to the more discerning viewer, there is an incongruity that adds a playful layer to the tale.
I haven't come across a book like this before and it really encapsulates the magic of picture books.
Sam and Dave go out to dig a hole, each time digging a little deeper (as we see them moving down the page and the hole growing bigger) and closer to a giant diamond beneath them. However, Sam and Dave never manage to reach this treasure and there's a joke with the reader and the dog, where if they had just dug one more piece of dirt then they would have reached it!
Children would really enjoy this and I would love to hear their thoughts on what they think happens to the men after they fall through the hole, as the images leave it open to the reader's interpretation.
Sam and Dave go out to dig a hole, each time digging a little deeper (as we see them moving down the page and the hole growing bigger) and closer to a giant diamond beneath them. However, Sam and Dave never manage to reach this treasure and there's a joke with the reader and the dog, where if they had just dug one more piece of dirt then they would have reached it!
Children would really enjoy this and I would love to hear their thoughts on what they think happens to the men after they fall through the hole, as the images leave it open to the reader's interpretation.
The 9yo got a laugh out of every page. It's one of those jokes where you're waiting for the other shoe to drop. Dog lovers will appreciate that the dog knows exactly what it's doing, along with the reader.
Storytelling-wise, it's a bit of a hack the way Sam and Dave get back home -- the visual equivalent of 'then they woke up and it had all been a dream', but if anyone can get away with it, Barnett and Klassen can.
Storytelling-wise, it's a bit of a hack the way Sam and Dave get back home -- the visual equivalent of 'then they woke up and it had all been a dream', but if anyone can get away with it, Barnett and Klassen can.
Gente esse livro é muito louco? Se você já leu, por favor compartilhe suas teorias sobre o final.
I love anything Jon Klassen has a hand in. His illustrations paired with Barnett's text make this one of my favorite picture books of the year. I love the sight gags and the rather wibbly-wobbly ending.