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ksoles
Dec 21, 2014ksoles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Caldecott winners Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen ("Extra Yarn") have once again teamed up to produce a striking and delightful story that deftly balances what the characters know with what the reader knows. As the story opens, brothers Sam and Dave along with their observant dog resolve to “find something spectacular.” They begin digging a hole and almost reach a sizable gem before deciding to switch directions. They turn right, then split up and go opposite ways, all the while narrowly bypassing increasingly enormous gems while their dog grows more and more perplexed. Exhausted, the boys eventually fall asleep then suddenly fall through the dirt, into the air and back to the yard where the adventure began. But the seemingly anticlimactic end reveals more to keen-eyed readers as subtle differences exist between the opening page and the final spread: the chicken weather vane has become a duck; the potted flower has changed in appearance and the apple tree now bears pears. Ultimately, "Sam and Dave Dig a Hole" makes kids laugh as well as think. Was their exploit merely a dream? Did they discover an alternate reality? Regardless of the answers, this deceptively simple book harbours more than meets the eye.