A Dog Named Doug

Doug is a dog who really likes to dig. He digs his way to Hollywood, the White House (where he tears through the floor of the Oval Office), a mummy’s tomb, a mountain summit, Easter Island (where he accidentally knocks over a stone moai), and eventually finds himself—where else?—upside-down in China. A dog who loves to dig isn’t the most original concept, but Myers’s (Battle Bunny) creative, acrylic-and-oil-paint illustrations draw out the humor in Doug’s adventures. The artwork frequently doubles as typography: mounds of dirt form the m’s in “many miles of dirt” and “mounds of mud,” and Doug’s tunnels take the shape of various letters in the repeating refrain, “Oh boy, did Doug dig!” Wilson (Bear Snores On) maintains a light, playful tone with loose rhymes and lots of alliteration, making this a fun readaloud. And what does Doug do when he’s been tucked into bed in his doghouse? He digs his way into his owners’ bedroom, where he has colorful, surrealistic dreams of digging. Ages 4–8. Agent for both: Steven Malk, Writers House. (June)