Pugs Cause Traffic Jams by Jennifer McGrath

Abstract

Reviewed by: Pugs Cause Traffic Jams by Jennifer McGrath Natalie Berglind McGrath, Jennifer Pugs Cause Traffic Jams; illus. by Kathryn Durst. Kids Can, 2022 [32p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781525303401 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781525303630 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs Kirby the pug is missing, and his owner, a little girl, sets out to find him. She encounters [End Page 326] many other dogs along her way, all with pleasant, or at least benign traits ("Golden retrievers are pleasers. / Poodles are overachievers"). Then perspective flashes to Kirby, whose oblivious frolicking after a butterfly has caused a massive car accident. Thus the punchline "But pugs cause traffic jams" is set, and the book is free to switch between the owner's neighborly chats and Kirby's incidental mayhem until the two are reunited. Durst's art in this picture book is dynamic: digital spreads feature cartoon-proportioned, diverse characters with big heads, dogs with exaggerated shapes, and enough background detail to warrant multiple rereads or I Spy quests. The matter-of-fact structure of the rhyming text contrasts with the chaotic speech bubbles as people shout and point at Kirby, with a police officer even calling in for help with a P.I.T.: "I repeat: we have a Pug-in-Traffic." Dog lovers—especially dog lovers whose dogs are charmingly dumb—will have plenty to delve into here. Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois