Tiny and the Big Dig

Rinker (Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site) moves from hard-at-work vehicles to an equally determined canine in a very earnest story about a dog who refuses to listen to others' negative opinions. Tiny, a brown and white pup, sends dirt flying as he digs in search of a bone: "A big, big bone! I know it's there!/ It'll take some work, but I don't care!" Despite other animals' naysaying ("Oh, Tiny, stop! You're far too small./ There's nothing in that hole at all"), Tiny digs on, and his grit (both literal and metaphorical) comes through in Myers's high-spirited ink-and-watercolor cartoons. Eventually, Tiny uncovers several bones--among them a fish bone and a trombone--before hitting pay dirt: a dinosaur skeleton that cheerfully follows him home in a peculiar closing gag. There's no missing the message about persistence, but Rinker's verse is leaden and even unclear at times ("Woo-hoo! Hooray! Yay! Yay! Yippee!/ And now you see how it could be"). And it's not always readily apparent which character is talking--all of the text appears in the same black font, sans quotation marks. Ages 3-5. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)

PreS-Gr 2--Tiny is a small brown, black, and white pup with big plans. He smells a buried bone and is bound and determined to unearth it, much to the chagrin of a blue bird, a tabby cat, and a large white dog. They take turns telling Tiny to give up as he's too weak and too little to succeed: "Oh, Tiny, stop! You're far too small. There's nothing in that hole at all." The only ones who believe in Tiny and his never-give-up enthusiasm are the dog himself and his owner, a young boy. Written in singsong rhyming verse, the story goes a bit long and verses don't always scan well. Plenty of white space allows ink-and-watercolor cartoon art to stand out, revealing Tiny and the hole he's digging from a variety of perspectives. The child and several animals, including Tiny, speak in the text but determining who is talking can be difficult. VERDICT An additional purchase with a solid message. For the classic story of determination in the face of adversity The Little Engine That Could is still a crowd-pleaser.--Maryann H. Owen, Oak Creek Public Library WI