Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
Sam and Dave Dig a Hole
By: Mac Barnett
Illustrated by: Jon Klassen
This is the first book from my April Book Haul that I am reviewing—and I’m so excited to share with everyone! I love this book. I love the illustrations and the subtlety in the story telling.
You see, Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is about a couple boys who, obviously, dig a hole. But the journey they take is, on the surface, funny. As they dig down and farther away from their home with their dog, they keep deciding to change directions. In the illustrations we see the constantly miss diamond after diamond. Their dog somehow knows (let’s assume he can smell diamonds…sure) that they are missing out and usually tries to continue digging in the direction of the diamond even after they switch directions. Eventually they get tired and run out of snacks and decided to take a break, right above a buried bone. The dog continues digging, and they all fall into an emptiness and fall down until they land on the soft dirt. Sam and Dave agree that it was a cool experience and go inside.
That’s the end. It seems abrupt and kind of weird. But it’s so good. Because they end up falling into an alternate reality—probably a concept a little hard for kiddos to grasp, but my second grade friend seemed to kind of get it. If you’re not paying attention, you might not notice the change in landscape—the apple tree becomes a pear tree and the flower on the front porch goes from being a tulip to a daisy. Small things.
As I was thinking about this book in preparation for today, it struck me how Mac Barnett has managed to make a kid’s book applicable for adults too. Sam and Dave go on a journey and they make choices a long the way that affects the outcome. What if they chose to continue digging down a little longer? What if they didn’t split up for a while? What if, what if? But in the end, the choices they made did make a difference in their lives. The choices we make change our lives. Seriously, it’s a big topic for a kid’s book. And I love it.
