FICTION

The Year of the Dog

by Oliver CHIN
illus. by Miah Alcorn. 40p. (Tales from the Chinese Zodiac). Immedium. Dec. 2017. Tr $15.95. ISBN 9781597021364.
COPY ISBN
PreS-Gr 2—Daniel the puppy wants to protect human Lin from the mythical creatures his father told him about—but after mistaking a rooster for a phoenix and a rat for a dragon, he needs to learn patience. When Lin takes a walk on a picnic and comes across the path of a tiger, Daniel finally gets his chance. Improbably, it is the puppy's barking, instead of the tiger's roaring, that alerts others to the danger. Last year's Year of the Rooster completed Chin's "Tales of the Zodiac" series, so this year sees a rerelease of 2006's Year of the Dog, with an added Chinese translation (simplified characters). However, this first volume remains overly long with clunky language and an unexciting, lagging plot. Appearances by the other zodiac animals are sometimes organic, but often seem shoehorned.
VERDICT Libraries that have later volumes in the series should not feel obligated to backfill their collections with this update.
Reviewed by Jennifer Rothschild, Arlington County Public Libraries, VA , Feb 01, 2018

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