VAN DOG

A wacky, immersive picture book about artistic inspiration.

Van Dog is an anthropomorphic canine who loves art. On the first spread, details in the protagonist’s home, such as painting supplies and books about artists like Monet and Van Gogh, indicate this passion. Van Dog sets out by bicycle to paint en plein air, finding a spot in an open meadow and declaring, “What a beautiful day to paint.” The colorful, cartoonish scene soon becomes abuzz with bugs, worms, and other creatures whose speech balloons invite readers to pore over the pages and take in the visual details and running commentary. Strategic use of perspective denies readers a view of the protagonist’s canvas for most of the book, instead focusing attention on Van Dog and on the many characters, fantastic and otherwise, who show up and provide inspiration. The overall presentation of this story, translated from the Polish, is a bit chaotic and may make for a better individual or small-group reading rather than one with a large group. A culminating reveal of the painting at book’s end may disappoint some readers since its style is so similar to the art they’ve seen on prior pages; others, however, may enjoy playing an I Spy sort of game to find characters they observed while Van Dog was painting. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A busy book with a heart for art.