January 1, 2014

Gr 2-4-This silly sequel follows squarely in the paw prints of Stick Dog (HarperCollins, 2013). Watson starts off explaining again why all of his dogs look alike, why none of them look very much like real dogs, and why he doesn't like writing the kinds of stories that teachers would approve of (though this bit is debatable). Then it's on to Stick Dog and his friends-Karen, Poo-Poo, Mutt, and Stripes-as they try to con a hot dog vendor into giving them the contents of his cart. The drawings are expressive, funny, and even manage to be adorable despite their simplicity. The dogs come up with and discard multiple elaborate plans to get their meal and somehow bumble their way into success after rescuing Karen from a laundry-basket mishap. There is far more discussion than action, which makes the story seem to lag, despite the zippiness of the dialogue. Nonetheless, young readers will get a kick out of the animals' thought processes and hilarious explanations. This style of story-part chapter book and part graphic novel-will be a sure hit with children. The funny, self-aware, and light style of Stick Dog will make this second installment welcome in most collections.-Kyle Lukoff, Corlears School, New York City

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013
Stick Dog's back and on the hunt for a snack. Stick Dog and his buddies Mutt, Poo-Poo, Stripes and Karen fondly remember that day in Picasso Park when they got some delicious hamburgers from a family grilling out--they'd like some more, please. After a pleasant game of BARK! at Stick Dog's house (all the dogs stand around and bark at anything that moves, and barking first scores more points), Stick Dog realizes he is hungry. The rumbling in his belly causes his friends' bellies to rumble, but over the rumble they hear something else: a bell. After deciding it's not Santa, a giant cuckoo clock or miniature bell-ringing humans, they discover it is Peter and his frankfurter cart. Each pooch comes up with an outlandish plan to steal the franks, but Stick Dog finds them all flawed. When they agree to his plan, Karen complicates it by becoming trapped in a strange human's house. Will they ever get those delicious frankfurters? Though Watson's second Stick Dog romp may appear to be for reluctant or very young readers due to its ample white space and simple illustrations, its vocabulary may frustrate them at times. An expansion of Watson's self-published Stick Dog Wants a Frankfurter with new illustrations by Long, this features the same foolishness and narrative style as Stick Dog's first, eponymous outing. A silly, simple read for middle graders who love dogs, be they hot- or stick-. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)

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January 1, 2014
In this sequel to Stick Dog, the pooch and his goofy gang of fellow strays are hungry, so they run through a series of preposterous plans to free frankfurters from a vendor's cart. The meta-journal-style notebook pages are illustrated with simple, silly black-and-white illustrations which bring out the dogs' personalities. It's hard not to root for Stick Dog and company.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)