Dog and Rabbit

PreS-Gr 1–Dog and Rabbit each spend most of their time in solitude, and neither one minds it. Even still, they sometimes wonder: What would it be like to have a friend? One day, Rabbit comes by Dog’s house and sees a friend through the window, but it isn’t Dog—and the friend, who turns out to be a silhouette of a bunny on dog’s refrigerator, doesn’t do anything. Eventually Rabbit finds a friend, but it isn’t the one he expected. The easy-to-read text is divided into four chapters: Dog, Rabbit, Friend?, and Friend. Each illustration, done with Kyle brushes in Photoshop, sits against a white backdrop, and the text is written in bold black font. Saltzberg shows the characters’ loneliness by putting each illustration on a single page, using spreads as the connection between the two begins to solidify. Up until the last section there is one sentence per page, which nicely balances the simple but subtle details in the illustrations. The plot of this book has a complete arc, and is best followed with attention paid to each illustration. Although this is a picture book, it is a solid choice for newly independent readers.