ART DOG

by Thacher Hurd ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 29, 1996

The adventures of Arthur Dog--mild-mannered guard at the Dogopolis Museum of Art by day, mural-painting superhero by night--who is mistakenly apprehended when the Mona Woofa is stolen from the museum; he paints his way out of prison and succeeds in catching the crooks in his improvised Brushmobile. The grateful museum director offers Art Dog a one-man show, during which the artist unveils his masterpiece: He paints the sky into a ""Starry Night"" look-alike. In addition to its comic-book birthright, this tale recalls Crockett Johnson's Harold and the Purple Crayon (1958) and Jon Agee's The Incredible Painting of Felix Clousseau (1988) while paying homage to several of art's masters: The paintings in the museum are fully recognizable to readers, with dogs substituted for people; among the artists are Vincent Van Dog and Henri Muttisse. Hurd (Tomato Soup, 1992, etc.) employs a disarming, deliberately slapdash style, blazing a trail of scrawled charm across the streets and skies of Gotham; Art Dog is a superhero for all times.

Pub Date: Feb. 29, 1996

ISBN: 0064434893

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1995

Categories: CHILDREN'S