A Greyhound, a Groundhog

by Emily Jenkins, Chris Appelhans (Illustrator)

From a heavyweight author-and-illustrator duo comes a delicious tongue twister of a picture book that features a little round greyhound and a little round groundhog. With very spare, incredibly lively language, this is an entertaining read-aloud, with two amazing and oh-so-adorable characters at its heart.
When a greyhound meets a groundhog, wordplay and crazy antics ensue. The two animals, much like kids, work themselves into a frenzy as they whirl around and around one another. ("Around, round hound. Around, greyhound.") The pace picks up ("Around and around and astound and astound"), until they ultimately wear themselves out.
Jenkins s masterful text is deceptively simple. NPR on "Toys Meet Snow" by Emily Jenkins
Appelhans, whose career up to now has been in animated films such as "Coraline, " is a revelation. "Booklist, " Starred, on "Sparky!, " illustrated by Chris Appelhans
Appelhans makes an auspicious picture book debut with strikingly beautiful watercolor and pencil illustrations. His style, reminiscent of Jon Klassen s, incorporates a muted color palette, but with a slightly softer, rounder quality, while also weaving in visual deadpan humor. "The Horn Book""

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Dogs, Storytime, Fiction, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 3, 2017

About the author

Emily Jenkins is the author of many books for children, including the recent picture books Tiger and Badger, illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay, and Princessland, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka. Her chapter books include the Toys series, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky; she is co-author of the Upside-down Magic series. Emily Jenkins lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is super cute, but the pictures below will tell you the real reason I bought and read this book ♥









I love my Greyhound ♥

Happy Reading!

Mel ♥

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around, round hound.

Around, groundhog!

Around, brown hog.

Around, grey dog!



The point of this book isn't the story (there is no story) but instead to serve as a tongue-twister and make the adult reader and the child laugh.



A groundhog and a greyhound meet and spend the day chasing each other around a field.




The pictures are beautiful. I would recommend this. It's fun.

[Carol]

Sincere thanks to my GR friend LauraH for taking the time to recommend this simply delightful children's picture book.

Subtle toned greys and browns go round and round in this tongue twisting, beautifully illustrated book just begging to be read out loud.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Each year my family reads all the Goodreads-award-nominated picture books, and we have been doing this for years. Everyone rates each book and adds a comment and it may (or may not) affect my overall rating. This is book #6 of 2017.

Tara: 4.5 stars. Love it! Like the Pear Bear book. And nice watercolors.
Harry (12): 3.5 stars. Didn't get what it was really trying to say, but art.
Hank (11): 2.9 stars. Made me so dizzy! Didn't get the message.
Lyra (10): 3.5 stars. Pretty good! I liked the idea, and the watercolors. Lots of repetition. Good kids book!
Dave: 4.5 stars. 2 odd friends, watercolor art, lots of space, good read-aloud book for younger readers, with a focus on vowels (hound, ground, brown, greyhound, groundhog), with action moving faster and faster, swirling colors and shapes, faster, faster!!

"Around and around! Astound!" Indeed! Zounds! All the sounds! Out of bounds!

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of my 365 Kids Books challenge. For a fuller explanation see my review for 101 Amazing Facts about Australia You can see all the books on their own shelf.

Just saying the title make me do a little happy dance, because it is hard to make my brain stay on the word I am saying when it can race on to the next word to read. My husband tells me that an alternate name for a groundhog is whistlepig, which cracks me up. Also groundhogs like to stretch out on tree branches to sun themselves, but they aren't good at climbing down, so the just drop, FLUP! They're ridiculous. Greyhounds are also ridiculous with their bicycle seat heads.

***

Loved the water color art and the feeling of motion Appelhans brought to the illustrations. What can I say? I'd been meaning to read it because I like Jenkins' work consistently, but to spot it on Groundhog Day? It was meant to be. And so pretty and frenetic.

Library copy

[Donalyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic read aloud! Practice first.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my word! Not only is the art simply delicious, but the words are delightful! A poem, a tongue-twister, a darling story all in one, and seriously: THE ART.

[Melki · Rating 5 out of 5]

When dog meets groundhog, an exuberant romp ensues!



The words are fun to read aloud, but the boisterous artwork by Chris Appelhans really pumps up the mood of the story.



I loved it! And, it left me feeling energized.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful tale and fantastic illustrations.

[Ariel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up intending to bring it along with me when I substitute teach but after going through it I see it just won't work. There is no story to keep the kids engaged. The text is rhyming words and adorable illustrations of a greyhound and a groundhog that play together. I would use this book if I was teaching a child to read but it's a tongue twister to read out loud and there is no story to follow. This book makes me realize what a genius Dr. Seuss was. He created simple rhyming stories that taught generations of kids to read and all of those books had a real cohesive story. I am going to take a pass on this.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gray greyhound and a round groundhog befriend one another in this tongue-twister of a tale, going round and round in a chase that ends in the pair happily collapsed together.

The text in A Greyhound, a Groundhog is minimal but demanding, switching words and sounds around in a narrative dance that perfectly reflects the joy of its two titular characters, and their dance together. The artwork by Chris Appelhans, done in watercolor and pencil, is immensely engaging, full of motion and (muted) color. Recommended to anyone looking for fun new read-alouds for younger children!

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A GREYHOUND, A GROUNDHOG is a deliriously delightful whirl of a book. With a nod to Ruth Kraus’ playful use of language (Jenkins even dedicates the book to her), the text artfully, rhythmically spins round, tying the reader’s tongue as it bounces along without ever becoming tiresome or repetitive, despite the limited palette word-wise. Appelhan’s gorgeously spare watercolor illustrations complement the prose perfectly--his greyhound and and groundhog are joyously expressive, full of movement, and unbound by gravity. As the rhyme becomes more and more frenzied, the illustrations gradually reveal more colors, going from the “grey dog” and “brown hog” to a riot of purples, pinks, yellows, and more. A GREYHOUND, A GROUNDHOG is a clever exploration of language that encourages play and silliness in its readers--it is sure to be a storytime hit!

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glorious with mind-blowingly good delicate and beautiful illustrations. Love it!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are gorgeous & I enjoyed the word play!

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a dog lover, and one of my dogs looks a bit like the dog in this book, although she is neither gray nor a greyhound, she is long and slim and pretty and a little bit silly (although she would never admit that), and I could NOT resist this book!! This is short and simple and sweet and I challenge you to read it out loud without tripping on your tongue. (I could not do it.)

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An Oulipo novel for children.

A hound. A round hound.
A greyhound.
A hog. A round hog.
A groundhog.
A groundhog, a greyhound, a round little greyhound.
A greyhound, a groundhog, a brown little groundhog.
A groundhog, a greyhound, a grey little round hound.
A greyhound, a groundhog, a found little roundhog.
Around, round hound. Around, groundhog!
Around, brown hog. Around, grey dog!
Around and around and around and around.
The ground and a hog and some grey and a dog.
A round hound, a grey dog, a round little hound dog.
A greyhog, a ground dog, a hog little hound dog.
Around and around and astound
and astound!
A bog and a sound and a log on the ground and around and around and around and around!

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

So stinking CUTE. I love this art style. I just want to frame every single greyhound illustration from this book, the dog is so expressive and beautifully drawn. Appelhans really captured the essence of both of these animals especially since there's still a certain derpiness to the hound, which I can attest to as being present in all of the greyhounds I've ever had or met.

[Ngoc · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm so confused as an adult, not sure how a child would react.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the tongue twisters in this book! They certainly tripped me up a few times. And the illustrations are too cute for words!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very cute book with sweet illustrations but it's definitely a tongue twister! I'd be nervous to read this at storytime because I'd inevitable say "a greyhog, a grounddog."

[Raina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kid was super into this for a while - great wordplay combined with friendly illustrations.
It was one of the first books they read to me all the way through in one sitting!

[Becky Loader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Gosh. I had to read through this book five times--just because all the tongue-twisting was so much fun. Our little neighbors laughed out loud at it, and I must admit that I did, too.

The illustrator knows dogs because the posture of the Greyhound ("A hound...a grey hound...a Greyhound...a round hound...a hound) is so accurate.

Fun, fun, fun!

[Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tongue-twister....would be a hilarious read aloud but need to practice to make it work
Great concept well executed

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a picture book that will leave you breathless in two ways. First, it is an astounding feat of wordplay that romps and gallops. Second, if you read this aloud I guarantee you will be out of breath by the end, much to the delight of your little listeners. A long lean greyhound that is round when it curls to sleep meets a very round brown groundhog and the two of them spend time playing together. They run and dash, filling the pages with movement and speed. The book takes a lovely pause suddenly when the two spot a butterfly and then more butterflies. And it ends with the two exhausted friends dozing side-by-side. Be ready to read it again and again, if you can do it!

Jenkins takes wordplay on a wild ride in this picture book that is pure mad joy. Readers not caught up in the swirl of words will notice that they all make sense, the wordplay is not at the expense of the story, rather it builds it and allows the play to happen. It is a wonder of rhythm and rhyme. The pacing is very well done from the blazing pace of the playing together to the delicious stop for the wonder of butterflies to the dozy ending. It is masterfully built and executed.

Appelhans’ illustrations are buoyant and bounding. He uses watercolor to create the two characters who whirl across the page, jumping and leaping, dashing and darting, the two becoming one joyous act of play together. Appearing on a white background, it the characters who shine on the page, simple and sunny.

A truly breathless read aloud, this picture book will be a wonderful addition to any story time. Save it for the end! Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this picture book is a departure from the usual serious issues, themes, and topics that I like to explore in my reading material, it is a delight to read aloud because of the tongue-twisting elements that are in the text. Although it doesn't have much of a plot other than the fun a greyhound and a groundhog, a most unlikely duo, have in their time together, the fun comes from examining the illustrations, rendered in watercolor and pencil, and hearing all those carefully-chosen words that describe these two friends. Every classroom needs a book like this one to amuse students and to help the teacher get her vocal chords limbered up for the day. Who cares whether there is a message here--although yes, it's easy to see that this one serves up a message about an unexpected friendship--the words are so much fun to say and hear, and the images entice readers to take a second look at the shapes on the pictures. Teachers or parents planning to share this title with others--and you definitely will want to do so--should definitely read it aloud a couple of times ahead of time for a smoother performance later on. I read it to my cats and dog and then my own students, to their great delight. I think the cats just liked the sound of my voice. This one might even be a good choice for Groundhog Day or paired with the familiar tongue-twisting question, "How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck...?"

[Maria Shuffit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun little tongue-twister book - I would most recommend it for children who are comfortable with their reading skills and might find it fun to have a challenge to read aloud. I would veer away from having kids who might be struggling with reading aloud, as it is a sound play that can get discombobulating and might discourage them. It would be good for an adult to read aloud to young children - even I was getting my tongue turned around when I read it to my guy!

[Kris · Rating 2 out of 5]

No plot. Not sure who I would read it to. Not sure who would check it out. Only caught my interest because I like Emily Jenkins' Skunkdog and Toys Go Out.

Later edit: I read this to my Kinders and they laughed when I got tongue tied, but not sure I need this book to get them laughing. So many others- like This Book Has No Pictures. Just not for me.

[Megan Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, just lovely. I read this, put it down, made myself a cup of tea, grabbed a copy of e. e. cummings' poetry and then immediately read this again, followed by more poetry. The illustrations are delicate and perfect, too.

[Kifflie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tongue-twisting tale about a dog and a hog. While the text is fun, I think the illustrations are better -- they do a great job of showing the two animal friends in motion. Definitely a good read-aloud book.

[Hannah Higson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this alongside Victoria. She loved it and I was not a fan. I think the pictures are beautifully drawn and help show what the text was inferring. However, I did not enjoy the tongue twister part of it.