Dogography: The Amazing World of Letter Art Dogs

PreS-Gr 2–Readers will learn about an assortment of dogs in this innovative art book. Each page has an illustration of a dog that was created using only the letters that spell out what breed it is. The illustrations are accompanied by short, funny, rhyming text. The dachshund verse, for example, states: “You’ll find these letters waddling ‘round, about an inch above the ground.” This is also an activity book since readers are invited to look and find the letters within the images—every page has a “letter key” to show readers the exact letters and fonts used to create the image, and to help them know what to look for. A range of colors, often reflecting the personality and coloring of the breed, appears in the art; the basset hound, for example, is shown in black, brown and white. Other dogs are illustrated with pops of bright color such as orange and hot pink. This is a busy book, with a lot happening visually. Letters appear in many directions, and there are a number of different fonts used. Coote has explored typography in other children’s books and she is masterful at using this art form. In the back matter, Coote includes information about letter art and typography, and gives more details about the dogs depicted.