Digging for Dinos: A Branches Book (Haggis and Tank Unleashed #2)

by Jessica Young, James Burks (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Haggis and Tank--two dogs with BIG imaginations! This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow! Haggis and Tank's big imaginations take them on a search for real live dinosaurs! They build a nest for dino eggs and play baseball with a triceratops. But then the ground starts shaking. Is a T-rex chasing Haggis and Tank? Or could something else be headed their way? This series is full of clever wordplay and homophones that make Haggis and Tank's adventures even more fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545819718
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/23/2016
Series:	Haggis and Tank Unleashed , #2
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	80
File size:	15 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jessica Young is an elementary/middle-school art teacher and author. The same things make her happy now as when she was a kid: dancing, painting, music, digging in the dirt, picnics, reading, and writing. Her debut picture book My Blue is Happy was a 2014 Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Title and was featured on multiple best-book lists. She lives with her family in Nashville, Tennessee.

James Burks spent fifteen years working in the animation industry on various movies and television shows, including The Emperor's New Groove, Atlantis, Treasure Planet, Space Jam, The Iron Giant, Wow Wow Wubbzy, and most recently on Fan Boy & Chum Chum. James is the author of the Bird & Squirrel graphic novel series for Scholastic, as well as the illustrator for the Branches series Haggis and Tank Unleashed. James lives in Valencia, California.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Digging for Dinos:

"This sequel is far from a dinosnore; here's to joining these two pals on all their future adventures." -- Kirkus

“[Haggis and Tank] are back for another exciting, imaginative playtime adventure…The narrative's simply constructed sentences describe events, while the colorful comic panels, lively dialogue in word balloons, and amusing commentary and wordplay further extend the story and add fun detail. Once again, the delightful pooch duo shines in this entertaining, fast-paced, and fun read.” -- Booklist

Praise for Haggis and Tank #1: All Paws on Deck:

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, January 2016

"Young...engag[es] her heroes in enticing banter and funny misunderstandings involving puns and homophones. It's especially gratifying to see that the big, tough, strong dog character is a female. Burks' plentiful, full-color art is consistently engaging...Kids dipping a toe into the waters of early chapter books will find themselves challenged by the text while simultaneously enticed by the alluring art. These salty sea dogs put the bite back in buccaneering." -- Kirkus

“Two canine pals star in this entertaining, comics-style chapter book series for early readers…The spare, easy-to-read main text describes the events, and the stylized, full-color cartoon illustrations, complete with amusing speech-balloon conversations and asides, expand the story. Tank and Haggis have many homophone-related miscommunications, a concept…which both helps aid reading comprehension and boosts the funny factor…the animated, distinctly drawn characters…will have kids seeking their future adventures.” -- Booklist

“There's more than a little Abbott and Costello in the goofy, misunderstanding-laden relationship between two dogs in this first book…Young…crams their dialogue with “Who's on first?”-style homophones…Burks…keeps the book's six chapters zipping along in lively full-bleed images and panel sequences. The dogs' odd-couple antics, loads of goofy humor, and an appealing comics/early reader format make for an all-around entertaining read.” -- Publishers Weekly
 

From the Publisher

Haggis, the carefully groomed Scottish terrier, and Tank, the adventurous Great Dane, go on a dinosaur hunt in their backyard that suddenly turns into an imaginary jungle. Tank’s imagination is fueled by her love of reading. The canine friends pack for their dinosaur adventure. Haggis gathers camping gear like binoculars, rope, and a flashlight while Tank makes sure food essentials—dog bones, marshmallows, and graham crackers—go into the backpack as well. Tank thinks she has discovered dinosaur tracks but after walking for quite a while the friends realize they have been walking in circles and that the tracks are actually their own. This graphic novel chapter book is just the thing for emerging readers, especially if they are fans of the other books in the “Haggis and Tank Unleashed” series. First and second grade vocabulary words interspersed with names of dinosaurs make it an appropriately challenging read. Reviewer: Zella Cunningham; Ages 5 to 9.

Children's Literature - Zella Cunningham

04/01/2016
Gr 1–3—This highly illustrated early chapter book reads like a Saturday morning cartoon with plenty of puns and nonstop action. Haggis and Tank set out on a hunt for dinosaurs, but soon get in over their heads when they stop to babysit some dinosaur eggs. Dinosaurs start showing up, but just as the duo runs from a T-Rex and then an exploding volcano, readers will realize that the heroes have been in a backyard the whole time and this adventure is a product of pretend play. This imaginative mishap is a lot of fun and the many full-color panels and plentiful speech bubbles read almost like a graphic novel, making this a good choice for children who enjoy reading comics.

School Library Journal

2015-12-08
If Abbot and Costello were rendered canine (and alive) they might well resemble this intrepid, dino-hunting doggie duo. Tank, a Great Dane with a nose for excitement, and Haggis, her smaller, saner Scottish terrier companion, are pulled into another adventure thanks to a book on dinosaurs. As in their previous imaginative outing (All Paws on Deck, 2015), Tank is the instigator, hoping to find any dinos that might be hiding nearby. And for all that he fusses and moans, Haggis is just as game to play pretend as his stalwart, oversized companion. As before, the action largely takes place in graphic panels featuring dialogue bubbles, lightly stitched together by brief sentences of exposition. Engaging in homophone-heavy dialogue (Haggis: "You never know…" Tank: "Actually, I no a lot! In fact, I no as much as I yes") and featuring the same dramatic beats as its predecessor (including the last-minute save by their owner, oblivious to her pets' overactive fantasies), this latest walk on the wild side will please the pair's fans, though it won't offer them anything particularly new. That said, the wordplay is lively, gently challenging new readers with its snappy dialogue that sometimes requires multiple reads. This sequel is far from a dinosnore; here's to joining these two pals on all their future adventures. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews