THE DOG WALK

The Astrid Lindgren Award winner takes readers—and picture perusers—on a whimsical dog walk in this lush wordless picture book.

The book opens with a child being towed outside by an elderly woman’s fluffy white dog. Boarding a carnival-style miniature train, the pair embarks on a journey through treehouses, castles, parks cultivated and wild, European-style cities, antiques and toy shops, and tropical islands, before arriving safely back home. Masterfully rendered in watercolor, ink, and acrylic and squeezed into intricate double-page spreads, the illustrations are rich in tiny details sure to provide hours of entertainment. There’s a giraffe on what might be a romantic boat ride, goats pulling women modeling rococo and Victorian fashion, another woman fox-trotting with a fox, seals on a beach holiday, and a knight in armor morosely fishing, among many more. Most humans depicted present White, including the woman and child (who wears a red ball cap, helping readers spot them on each page), and most of the artistic and architectural traditions referenced are European in style, though not exclusively. Amusement abounds in the mixture of modern and historical aesthetic elements, Alice in Wonderland variety in proportions of the fantastical beasts and people, and tiny, expressive faces.

The perfect choice for a rainy day for readers and nonreaders alike.