Sam and Dave Dig a Hole

How many of you have been looking forward to reading this book as much as I have?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBJVZuMd6R8

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen (2014)

 Sam and Dave decide to dig a hole one day. They take their shovels, a canteen of chocolate milk, and a kerchief of animal crackers. They plan on digging until they find something spectacular. They leave their house and proceed to dig next to a small apple tree. Their trusty dog goes with them. They never do find anything spectacular, but they do end up digging completely through the earth and falling back home through the sky.

Mac Barnett has given substance to the childhood belief that you can dig a hole to the other side of the world.

Jon Klassen shows us just how close they actually come to finding spectacular things in the ground before they change directions and eventually give up. It’s their dog who senses what lies buried in the dirt and digs them through to the end. Look carefully at the first and last pictures to see just how different their home is from the beginning to the end of the story.

I love the creativity of the story. It works so well in both text and illustrations. The irony of how close the boys are to discovering something spectacular under the ground is not lost on young readers. And the dog’s persistence is the catalyst which propels them to a new place. Have they actually reached the opposite side of the world where things look familiar, but have very different details?

Tags: Children's literature, digging through the earth, Jon Klassen, Mac Barnett, opposite end of the world, picture books, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole, spectacular