TWO HOT DOGS and their friends: Food characters trend grows in popularity!

As a reader of children's literature, I like to pay attention to current trends.  Not only does it help me know what's popular, but it helps me select books for my school library.  One trend I've noticed recently is the growing number of books that have characters that are food.  It's not an entirely new trend, since titles like Arnie the Doughnut by Laurie Keller and Peanut Butter and Cupcake by Terry Border and Josh Funk's Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast have been around for awhile.  But I've noticed that such characters have become quite plentiful with new series such as Pizza and Taco by Stephan Shaskan and Jarrett Lerner's The Hunger Heros.  The books I'm highlighting today fall into this burgeoning category.  In fact, both books have hot dogs as main characters.  But these books, while similar in subject matter, are quite different in tone and style.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Kids will gobble up this hilarious second adventure starring Frank and Bean, who prove that, win or lose, true friends can make any competition go down easy.

Frank likes peace and quiet. He likes his tea, his book, and his yoga mat. He is just settling in to enjoy them, when . . . honk! honk! honk! Here comes Bean with his new food truck! It is fun on wheels! It’s a rolling party! Bean is going to Food Truck Friday to sell his donuts. Bean’s donuts have zip. They have zing. They are sure to win the competition! Frank has something to sell, too. He has oatmeal. Oatmeal is boring. It needs zip. It needs zing. What if Bean’s donuts could help Frank’s oatmeal? What if donuts and oatmeal could work together, just like friends? Dry wit meets stylish, comical artwork as introspective Frank and gregarious Bean return in a tale for anyone who likes food, unlikely friendships, and laugh-out-loud funny adventures.

REVIEW

When Frank's (hot dog) peace is disturbed by his friend, Bean, rolling up in a food truck, he is inspired to join the food truck competition.  There's only one problem, Frank doesn't have a food truck. This doesn't stop him from showing up with all his supplies to serve oatmeal. Bean attempts to show Frank why his donut's are a better choice, but Frank isn't convinced.  When Mad Dog shows up with her cupcake truck, the other competitors pretty much give up, since Mad Dog always wins.  But maybe combining their supplies and creativity, Frank and Bean can prove that two friends are better than one.  This delightful early chapter book combines lots of bright, energetic illustrations with two very different characters and an unusual topic to make for an enjoyable read.  It's quite amusing after all for a hot dog to cook oatmeal and a bean to go for donuts.  This fun read is bound to make readers want to create and eat their own unique treats.




ABOUT THE BOOK

Join a hot dog named Dog and a chicken nugget named Nugget as they go to summer camp in this hilarious third book in the Level 2 Ready-to-Read Graphics series by Jason Tharp!

Nugget and Dog are going to summer camp with their friends. Everyone is excited for ghost stories, hiking, and—best of all—s’mores! Especially Dijon. He’s going to see his cousin, Honey Mustard, and he has an evil plan like no other! Will it go his way, or will things get a little bit sticky?

Ready-to-Read Graphics books give readers the perfect introduction to the graphic novel format with easy-to-follow panels, speech bubbles with accessible vocabulary, and sequential storytelling that is spot-on for beginning readers. There’s even a how-to guide for reading graphic novels at the beginning of each book. 

REVIEW

Nugget and Dog are excited to be going away to camp where they hope to teach the other campers about KETCHUP (Kindness, Empathy, Thoughtful, Courage, Helpful, Unique, Powerful).  But Dijon and his sidekick Crouton aren't interested.  In fact, when it's time to tell scary stories around the campfire, Dijon and Crouton plot to prank everyone.  But Dijon's cousin, Honey, is a sweetheart and more than willing to learn about KETCHUP.  But when their prank goes awry, Dijon and Crouton have inadvertently become the camp jokesters.  Can KETCHUP save the day when the Mean Green Pine Thing shows up and scares everybody?  This early reader is presented in graphic novel format with panels and speech bubbles and everything.  To make it easier the book provides instructions on reading the graphic format as well as names and pronunciations for all of the characters.  While Nugget and Dog are not the most brilliant of characters, they are good and kind and friendly. And even the 'villains' have more to them than one might expect.  There are a couple of interesting twists that make the book more than just entertaining, although it is definitely entertaining.  The illustrations are full-color and lots of fun, especially the exaggerated eyebrows.  A fun addition to the series for young readers who are eager to get into graphic novels.

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