It’s summer in the city and one fuzzy dachshund is more than just a little hot under the collar. Having had enough of the sweltering temperatures, he parks his bottom in the middle of the road, refusing to move his paws another inch, resistant to the honking cars or his beloved owner’s coaxing. Until the owner cries “Taxi!”, and the pair head off on an impromptu trip to the coast.
Set in New York, Doug Salati’s glorious Hot Dog (Pushkin) deservedly won last year’s Caldecott medal, the most prestigious US children’s book award. In fiery oranges and reds, Salati’s crowded illustrations brilliantly depict the noisy, humid city streets before he switches to cooling blues, and his seaside drawings become more expansive as the dog finds freedom on the beach, running the full width of each double-page spread, the wind ruffling his coat. Salati uses language economically, each word carefully considered and all the more delicious for it (“unfolding sky, a salty breeze / a welcome whiff of someplace new”).
