Hotdog! by Anh Do, illustrated by Dan McGuiness

  I didn't care for the author's WeirDO series, but this one, while equally silly, was a little more to my taste.

In the first chapter, we meet Hotdog, a long dachshund, who wakes up one morning with a "very stuffy nose." He then talks about the things he can and can't do, as a very short, very long dog, and his plans for kite-flying with his friends. In the next chapter we meet his friends, Lizzie the lizard, who's a chameleon and good at blending into things and Kevin, a plump and extremely relaxed cat, who is frequently dressed up by his humans. When a small baby bird falls on Kevin's head, the friends are in a quandary. The baby bird is too small to fly, Hotdog can't climb a tree, Kevin is wearing an awkward cow suit (and he's too relaxed to climb anyways) and Lizzie is extremely brave - except about heights.

Hijinks ensue as the three quirky friends try to track down Winston's mom and get him back home. The ensuing adventures include poopy diapers, a treacherous lake journey, and a disastrous farm trip. However, all ends well, and the three have a new friend and lots of new adventures to look forward to.

This is not a graphic novel per say, it's what is usually called an illustrated chapter book. There are some speech bubbles and copious illustrations, but the book is not primarily told through the art. The art is two-toned in green and gray and shows cartoonish animals, as well as highlighted green words, exclamations, and a certain emphasis on poop.

Verdict: It's a rather scattered story, with digressions and threads that are dropped and picked up chapters later, but the characters are nice, if a bit scatty, and the overall tone is humorous and upbeat. Kids who like nonsense and lots of pictures will enjoy this - hand it to fans of Stinkbomb and Ketchup-Face, Bad Guys, Beaver Brothers, Ricky Ricotta, and Branches like Kung Pow Chicken.

ISBN: 9781338587203; Published May 2020 by Scholastic; Borrowed from another library in my consortium