Sam & Dave Dig a Hole

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Is any childhood truly complete without at least one shovel-wielding foray into shoulder-deep dirt? … A carefully choreographed interplay between Mac Barnett’s straight-faced text (“So they kept digging”) and Caldecott-winner Jon Klassen’s stylized illustrations. The message in this book is so subliminal... In fact my mind finds it hard to grasp enough to even write it here... I feel like its about hard work and how the journey is as important as the end result... A masterwork in humor, subtlety, and surprise, Sam & Dave Dig a Hole will leave readers digging for the truth."

Author Mac Barnett and Canadian author/illustrator Jon Klassen, the dream team who last collaborated on the Caldecott Honor-winning Extra Yarn, reunite for a striking story that is sure to delight…As with Barnett and Klassen’s previous book, the brilliance of Sam and Dave Dig a Hole is the interplay of the deceptively simple text, what the characters know, and what is pictured… Ending with an illustration full of subtext that makes kids think as well as laugh is classic Klassen, and it works. Get ready to add another favorite to your collection." The boys fall into an underground world built to resemble their own. The only problem? The details are off. Basically, if you’ve seen the movie The Truman Show, it’s exactly like that. The sky isn’t the sky – it’s a giant dome with lighting orchestrated by Ed Harris. The cat is an actor cat. Sam and Dave have entered a giant reality show. Proponents of the Mount Weather conspiracy (who believe there is a shadow government operating in a mountain in Virginia) will likely be drawn to this interpretation. In this scenario (credit to my wife for this one), the boys return to the exact same place they started, but their epic journey of digging (as epic journeys tend to do) forever changed how they see the world. Hence the “same, yet different” vibe of the house and yard at the end. Theory #4: The Other Side of the World Theory

Psychologists have found that people who set specific goals have more success achieving those goals than people who set general, unclear goals. For example, you’re better off saying, “I’m going to read 20 books this year” than “I am going to try and read more this year.” Sam and Dave have fallen into the trap of setting an unclear, general goal. They are looking for something but they’re not sure what it is. This book says something quite profound about goal-setting and perseverance. A visually appealing underground adventure… Kids will love to read, reread and just look at this book.

Is any childhood truly complete without at least one shovel-wielding foray into shoulder-deep dirt?...A carefully choreographed interplay between Mac Barnett’s straight-faced text ("So they kept digging") and Caldecott-winner Jon Klassen’s stylized illustrations ."This might be one of the most difficult theories to make sense of, yet it seems fairly plausible. Sam and Dave dug through the earth, and the reason things look slightly different at the end is because they are different. It’s the other side of the world.

With perfect pacing, the multi-award-winning, New York Times best-selling team of Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen dig down for a deadpan tale full of visual humor. This might be one of the most difficult theories to make sense of, yet it seems fairly plausible. Sam and Dave dug through the earth, and the reason things look slightly different at the end is because they are different. It’s the other side of the world. Theory #5: The ‘It Was All a Dream, Man’ Theory A funny, deadpan adventure... This is an exercise in suspending disbelief, which children will gladly undertake. ... A topsy-turvy treasure-seeking adventure.” An understated, humorous, and charmingly perplexing tale. … What works spectacularly is the clever play between words and pictures. As in Klassen’s "This Is Not My Hat," readers are in on a joke to which the characters are oblivious. Namely, that each time the boys change direction, they narrowly miss discovering increasingly enormous jewels hidden in the earth. .. Klassen’s use of muted earth tones and uncomplicated compositions is paired well with Barnett’s deadpan humor.Determined to find something spectacular, Sam and Dave dig a hole outside their grandfather's house, working until they are in over their heads. Just as they are about to unearth an enormous gem, they become discouraged and begin digging in a different direction. After successive almost-discoveries of a similar nature, they find themselves falling into something very spectacular indeed... Sam and Dave Dig A Hole is different from most stories, and that makes it ironic. It’s not what we expect from stories. Sometimes stories star a cast of characters and they are all main characters. Not many stories do this, but Sam and Dave Dig A Hole happens to be one example. Sam and Dave are in the title, but the dog is also part of this cast. The dog stars equally, even though he or she doesn’t say anything. One apple for each of the characters. A funny, deadpan adventure… This is an exercise in suspending disbelief, which children will gladly undertake. … A topsy-turvy treasure-seeking adventure.