Take a Hike, Miles and Spike!

May 21, 2018
At first, dogs Miles and Spike seem like run-of-the-mill nature lovers: Miles wears a jaunty red cap and is well-equipped for the journey with a backpack and shovel, Spike has a sturdy walking stick, and they both sport big, eager smiles. Very soon, though, they reveal that they’re in the forest to plunder it blithely, offering little more than a verbal kiss-off to the stunned inhabitants. They pick all the flowers: “Buh-bye, Butterfly!” They steal all the berries: “We’re outta here, Deer! Can’t stay, Blue Jay!” Finally, enough is enough, and the put-upon animals and insects shout, “Take a hike, Miles and Spike!” Chastened (“We acted dumb, chum”), the dogs make amends with a picnic celebration. Audiences who get the giggles from hearing “see you later, alligator” are going to find plenty to love (and repeat) in the word balloons. The cartooning from the creative team behind Give Me Back My Book is equally snappy: with its strong black outlines, color saturation (every vignette is set against a solid color field), and single-plane compositions, it has the breezy visual styling of a classic comic. Ages 5–8.

June 15, 2018
In this tale told entirely in dialogue, most along the lines of "See you later, Alligator," Miles and Spike pay a visit to the woods, to the consternation of the animals that live there.The two buddies, anthropomorphic dogs wearing boots and toting a blue backpack, seem to have come just to pillage the forest of its resources: wood, flowers, corn (an odd find in the woods), worms, and blueberries. With each new item, the backpack bulges a little more, and Miles and Spike leave in their wake a host of angry critters, their tossed-off, la-dee-da comments only adding fuel to the fire: "Ta-ta for now, COW!" "Peace out, RAINBOW TROUT!" The two dogs and the animal(s) they are speaking to are depicted in full color, while brilliantly colored monochromatic backgrounds allow Long to show the previously ticked-off animals and the devastation left behind (readers will expect the Lorax to pop out at any moment). Finally, Miles and Spike are unable to hoist the backpack and, thirsty from the tussle, go to fill up their canteens. They demand "Clear the water, OTTER!"--and the angry animals band together to deliver the titular message. The empty landscape speaks volumes, and the two admit "We acted dumb, chum." They try again, unpacking the backpack and inviting the animals to accompany them to a new patch of forest (the trout is carried in a fishbowl), where they share their bounty, smiles and friendship replacing angry glares. An environmental message that goes down easily amid the cartoony cast. (Picture book. 5-8)

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July 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Canine duo Miles and Spike take a hike, grabbing all the provisions they can get their "paws" on along the way, while shouting out smart-alecky rhymes to their animal acquaintances. "Stay loose, Moose!" is followed by "Smell you soon, Raccoon!" and even the more taunting "Buh-bye, Butterfly!" When their load of collected items becomes too heavy for them to carry on their own, their responses reverse to apologetic rhymes for their rude behavior. "We acted dumb, chum," and "Let's try again, then" is followed by a friendly invitation for the others to be included in their picnic festivities with a final shout of "Join the fun, everyone!" Foster and Long's hilariously pithy rhymes are perfectly paired with cheerful comic illustrations, both good enough to make a popular TV cartoon sitcom. Several of the phrases, including the book's catchy title, are popular idiomatic expressions. This just adds to the overall creative fun of the story, demonstrating to children that playing with words makes language that much more enjoyable. At the same time, the message that resonates at the end is that it pays to get along with others. VERDICT An enticing picture book sure to win over any library storytime crowd with its rollicking rhymes and enduring message. Recommended for widespread purchase to enhance most library collections.-Etta Anton, Yeshiva of Central Queens, NY

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2018
Grades K-2 While preparing for a picnic, two dogs set bad, and then better, examples of behavior?at first rudely kissing off the woodland creatures beneath whose noses they're gathering berries and other supplies, and then changing their tune to invite one and all to the festivities. The dialogue, enclosed in balloons, consists entirely of short, rhymed phrases that go from Take care, GRIZZLY BEAR! and Smell you soon, RACCOON! to (following the turn at We acted dumb, chum ) Want to go, BUFFALO? Let's head out, RAINBOW TROUT! and finally, Join the fun, EVERYONE! The actual plotline is almost entirely laid out in the big, bright cartoon illustrations, which feature a pair of spaniels in hiking boots and a gathering mob of animals whose angry frowns change to smiles midway through. Oddly, there is no alligator in the cast to prompt a See you later, alligator! Still, young audiences will have no trouble catching on to the pattern and chiming in with the appropriate rhymes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)