"A groundhog, a greyhound,/ a grey little/ round hound./ A greyhound, a groundhog,/ a found little roundhog."
Tongue-twisting wordplay abounds in this charming read-aloud romp by Emily Jenkins (Toys Go Out; Toy Dance Party; Toys Come Home; Toys Meet Snow) and Chris Appelhans (illustrator of Jenny Offill's Sparky!; Flight series). Here, Jenkins pays tribute to a 1954 Caldecott Honor book illustrated by Maurice Sendak. She writes in her dedication: "A Greyhound, a Groundhog owes a debt of inspiration and rhythm to A Very Special House, by legendary children's author Ruth Krauss."
This winning picture book begins with a watercolor image of a sleeping greyhound, curled up in a ball, elliptical and stone-like: "A hound./ A round hound." On the next spread, the dog breaks out of his roundness, raising his long neck to look around, smiling. From a round hole nearby, a goofy-looking groundhog pops up, stretches short cute arms and yawns. The stubby rodent snaps to attention at the sight of the gangly greyhound, who is now chasing his own tail. When the cheerful dog enthusiastically greets the "roundhog," the little creature visibly flinches. The tension evaporates instantly. The dynamic duo circles around each other playfully: "Around, round hound./ Around, groundhog!"
As the new friends whirl and twirl, the artwork does too, dizzyingly. The type curves to further heighten the whirlpool effect: "Around and/ around and around/ and around./ The ground and a hog/ and some grey and a dog." As the kinetic illustrations of groundhog and greyhound blur, the words start to blend as well: "grey dog," "greyhog," "a hog little hound dog." The mad revelry stops only when they are both distracted by a butterfly, then a whole sky full of butterflies, then a bog, then, naturally, a log. In the end, the boisterous buddies collapse, panting and exhausted.
Preschoolers will delight in the sound of the words that rhyme and repeat and mirror and mix, qualities sure to render it a bedtime favorite. Appelhans's watercolor illustrations are both adorable and artful, ranging in composition from an appealingly framed sculptural greyhound on a creamy white background to the splashy double-page spread where multiple greyhounds and groundhogs bounce and race and chase. The fluid style beautifully complements Jenkins's story of unlikely friendship, joyful rambunctiousness and wordplay. A round, a mound, the sound of applause! --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness
Shelf Talker: A greyhound and groundhog rumble and tumble in this splendid adventure in wordplay by Emily Jenkins and Chris Appelhans.