If you think living, breathing puppies are cute, wait until you see this fabulous book of photographs of fruit-and-vegetable dogs. Yes, Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers (Play with Your Food, How Are You Peeling?, One Lonely Seahorse) are back, with one of their best efforts to date. Not only are the doggies themselves endearing and clever (the broccoli-tufted French poodle is pure genius), but the wordplay and visual punch lines are terrific as well. "Chilly dog," crafted from a potato, shivers next to a mushroom snowman. "Dog bowl," contrary to what you might envision, is a dog made out of a radish, with a black olive on its paw, poised to topple banana-tip bowling pins. "Dog catcher," reveals a jalapeño dachshund catching a squash Frisbee in midair. "Let sleeping dogs lie" you say? There they are, sleepy, sleepy banana peel dogs at the end. The eye-popping endpapers showcase the entire kennel of creations on a bright turquoise background. This immensely appealing book will be irresistible to almost any human, but dog (and produce) lovers will sprout wings and zoom skyward. (Ages 4 to 104) --Karin Snelson


From Publishers Weekly
In How Are You Peeling?, Freymann and Elffers sought out wrinkly, bulging fruits and vegetables and applied beans to form eyeballs. The resulting veggie faces showed wit and a keen design sensibility. In Gus and Button and this volume, the artists no longer wait for the poetic moment. They slice and pierce vegetable chunks to create animal likenesses with less successful results. The title refers to the book's canine theme and artistic media. Each page features a common saying like "in the doghouse" and a visual play on words. For "dog paddle," which here has nothing to do with swimming, a green hound built from two pears backhands a ping-pong ball with a racquet made from a radish slice. "Pup tent" pictures a lettuce-leaf shelter and a red radish-puppy. Jalapeno peppers, with their tail-like stems and their variable coloration, come in handy for "sick puppy" (a queasy red and green) and "lucky dog" (who holds a cauliflower bone in his jaws). Even though the mushroom chunks and mangled potato parts are forced into service, whimsy prevails in the portraits of the frisee lettuce sheepdog, the broccoli poodle and the banana, cut lengthwise and laid flat to resemble two long yellow dogs with blunt black noses ("Let sleeping dogs lie"). All ages.Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From School Library Journal
K-Gr-3-A variety of dogs is cleverly constructed entirely from fruits and vegetables. A dachshundlike pup is fashioned from bananas, and poodlelike pooches with curly locks are created out of cauliflower or broccoli. Simple cuts have been made to form legs and ears, and small pieces of other fruits and vegetables have been attached for eyes and other small body parts. Each canine appears on a bright, solid-colored background and is labeled with a simple phrase. The idiomatic expressions and other descriptors show the many ways the words "dog" and "puppy" have been incorporated into the English language. "Dog tired," "sick as a dog," "top dog," and "puppy love" are just a few examples. The endpapers show all of the creatures pictured in the book, and the back cover lists the ingredients used. Most children probably won't want to read this more than once, but it provides a brief, fun-for-browsing experience.Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MNCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
PreS-Gr. 3. Food sculptors Freymann and Elffers are at it again, turning vegetables and fruits into something not found in the garden or grocery. This time common produce is transformed into dogs--of every size, shape, and breed. While previous books How Are You Peeling? (1991) and One Lonely Seahorse (2000) had an educational component--the first introducing emotions and the second, counting--this book is just for fun. And what fun it is! Bananas, cucumbers, artichokes, broccoli, and more are rearranged and combined into hilarious canine scenes. Mostly familiar phrases containing the word dog or puppy accompany the artwork: "dog catcher" shows a dog catching a Frisbee; "dog tag" shows a pair of pups playing tag. Younger kids may not know all the expressions ("dog eat dog"), but it really doesn't matter; they'll be having too much fun enjoying the "dog show" to notice or care. Lauren Peterson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers have wowed readers with the funny food faces of HOW ARE YOU PEELING, the underwater vegetable visions of ONE LONELY SEAHORSE and the lush produce landscapes of GUS AND BUTTON. Now with DOG FOOD, the duo turns its talents to the canine realm, wittily reworking familiar doggy phrases for a whole new level of humor and meaning. These pepper pooches and mango mutts are guaranteed to charm dog owners, dog lovers, and even -- dare we say it -- cat fans. Chow down!

FROM OUR EDITORS

A New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated Children's Book for 2002

The Barnes & Noble Review
Ever seen a poodle hidden in your cauliflower? How about a chihuahua in your chili pepper? The authors of How Are You Peeling? and Play with Your Food are serving up this doggone funny book, which gives new, edible meaning to all our favorite canine phrases.

Whether it's "bad dog," "in the doghouse," "hot dog," or "dog eat dog," Freymann and Elffers have the right fruit or vegetable to make a "dog show" of it. Bananas, mangoes, cucumbers, and potatoes make excellent pooches, and the two authors have set them up in many hysterical poses. "Dog catcher" shows a little pepper dog flying in the air catching a Frisbee, while "dog fight" has two pear pooches snarling at each other in an extreme close-up. A red-potato hound is carrying his mushroom suitcase in "doggy bag," and "puppy love" has a little onion pup licking his mom's face. The book contains lots more, but in the end, sometimes it's best to "let sleeping dogs lie."

A simple and visually eye-catching book, Dog Food will be a hilarious treat for any canine (or food) lover. It's remarkable what Freymann and Elffers can do with food, and their doggy creations match each phrase perfectly. Both charming and zippy, readers will be howling with laugher over this "top dog." Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

Dog figures carved out of different fruits and vegetables "act out" such phrases as "Bad dog," "Sick as a dog," and "Doggy bag."

FROM THE PUBLISHER

It's back to the all-ages gift appeal of Play with Your Food and How Are You Feeling? for Saxton Freymann and Joost Elffers. Now with Dog Food, the duo turns its talents to the canine realm, wittily reworking familiar doggy phrases for a whole new level of humor and meaning. These pepper pooches and mango mutts are guarantees to charm dog owners, dog lovers, and even -- dare we say it -- cat fans. Chow down!

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In How Are You Peeling?, Freymann and Elffers sought out wrinkly, bulging fruits and vegetables and applied beans to form eyeballs. The resulting veggie faces showed wit and a keen design sensibility. In Gus and Button and this volume, the artists no longer wait for the poetic moment. They slice and pierce vegetable chunks to create animal likenesses with less successful results. The title refers to the book's canine theme and artistic media. Each page features a common saying like "in the doghouse" and a visual play on words. For "dog paddle," which here has nothing to do with swimming, a green hound built from two pears backhands a ping-pong ball with a racquet made from a radish slice. "Pup tent" pictures a lettuce-leaf shelter and a red radish-puppy. Jalapeno peppers, with their tail-like stems and their variable coloration, come in handy for "sick puppy" (a queasy red and green) and "lucky dog" (who holds a cauliflower bone in his jaws). Even though the mushroom chunks and mangled potato parts are forced into service, whimsy prevails in the portraits of the frisee lettuce sheepdog, the broccoli poodle and the banana, cut lengthwise and laid flat to resemble two long yellow dogs with blunt black noses ("Let sleeping dogs lie"). All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

School Library Journal

K-Gr-3-A variety of dogs is cleverly constructed entirely from fruits and vegetables. A dachshundlike pup is fashioned from bananas, and poodlelike pooches with curly locks are created out of cauliflower or broccoli. Simple cuts have been made to form legs and ears, and small pieces of other fruits and vegetables have been attached for eyes and other small body parts. Each canine appears on a bright, solid-colored background and is labeled with a simple phrase. The idiomatic expressions and other descriptors show the many ways the words "dog" and "puppy" have been incorporated into the English language. "Dog tired," "sick as a dog," "top dog," and "puppy love" are just a few examples. The endpapers show all of the creatures pictured in the book, and the back cover lists the ingredients used. Most children probably won't want to read this more than once, but it provides a brief, fun-for-browsing experience.-Adele Greenlee, Bethel College, St. Paul, MN Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews