Tag the dog can do all kinds of things with his squeaker ball-chew it, toss it, and especially squeak it. Then one day the squeaker comes to life! Tag is delighted, but the resident cat is suspicious. Where the cat sees a mystery, Tag sees only magic. Which one is right?
Tag and the Magic Squeaker, Sam Hundley's heartwarming follow-up to Gifts of the Magpie (Capstone 2021), is a contest between optimism and cynicism. Hundley's ability to make art out of scraps is the perfect medium for a book that celebrates finding joy in everyday life and discovering that the power of optimism is magical, indeed.
"Inventive illustrations composed of photographs of found objects layered within simple backgrounds of shapes and patterns tell this story of a dog and a cat who are befuddled by a magic ball. When Tag's ball starts rolling around by itself, he's alarmed; when the ball shares a plan to get them both some dog treats, he's delighted. The cat remains suspicious, but finds no other explanation; meanwhile, the "magical" mastermind escapes, quiet as a mouse."
