ISBN: 9781406360981
Sam and Dave are on a mission to find something spectacular, so they dig a hole. Every time they don’t find something, they change their approach. They carry on and their day turns out to be something spectacular after all.
Illustrated by Jon Klassen, this book is full of visual humour, and a lesson to attentive readers that finding something extraordinary might not always come in a way we expect! There are subtle differences between the opening and closing pages that stimulate discussion whether Sam and Dave’s feat was real or only a dream, or whether they could’ve discovered an alternate reality. The illustrations and text together create irony and yet balance what the characters know with what the reader knows.
Readers have to pay close attention to the illustrations, especially the dog, for the story to really make an impact. There are no explanations really, but it inspires imagination. Kids will also love spotting what Sam and Dave miss.
“Sam and Dave dig a hole” was published by Candlewick in 2014 and was selected as a Caldecott Honor Book in 2015.
Look inside!
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You can view other books written by Mac Barnett on his website
A short mini-bio about the author, Mac Barnett:
“Mac is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 24 books for children, including two Caldecott-Honor-winning collaborations with Jon Klassen: Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, which also won the E.B White Read-Aloud Award, and Extra Yarn, which won both the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award and the E.B. White Read-Aloud Award. His picture books Leo: A Ghost Story and The Skunk, illustrated by Patrick McDonnell, were named two of the Ten Best Illustrated Books of 2015 by The New York Times. Mac writes the Brixton Brothers series of mystery novels and, with Jory John, The Terrible Two series. He lives in Berkeley” ~ https://www.macbarnett.com/about-mac/
Mac Barnett: Why a good book is a secret door
