Dig! by Andrea Zimmerman

Dig! Reviews

• 
  Lisa

  What a great book to read out loud to your 2-year-old dig enthusiast! My guy lives for the dig. He reluctantly lets me dress and feed him in the mornings as a precursor for what is his true passion: DIGGING! We have two excavation sites in our backyard where the digging goes down. Nate digs with everything he's got until his mean mommy makes him come inside for dinner, bath time, and story time. But lately this last part has been okay with Nate because now we have this book! It's about a man who has 5 digging jobs to do. He checks each one off his list (and gives the reader a very good, sneaky little lesson in counting) and then heads home with his dog at the end of a hard day of work. And what does he do when he returns home? What else?! DIGS! Nate and I give this book 5 stars for being a very engaging, age-appropriate, stimulating book about our favorite, fabulous topic. We highly recommend this book!
• 
  Justin

  Never a fan of formulaic repetition, I found this one a bit over the top in that respect. I recognize that many think that such repetitiveness reinforces concepts for young children, but it's my belief that it's wasted opportunity to expose them to variety and merely reduces the number of words and creativity to which they're exposed. My oldest child managed to learn to read at a very young age, primarily through exposure to traditionally crafted illustrated storybooks, as well as less formulaic, more engaging material like the works of Dr. Seuss, P.D. Eastman (the neglected hero of first-reader literature), H.A. Ray, Arnold Lobel, and Syd Hoff. The illustrations in Dig! are cute, and my now 4-year-old son did feel proud when he could read the visually digits 1 through 5 on one of the pages.
• 
  Jodi

  It makes me sad to find books like this fifteen years too late! G would have loved this. It reminds me of "Easy Street," another favorite. Just the right amount of rhyming repetition: enough for a predictable pattern fun to recite, not so much that it becomes tedious.
• 
  Mary

  This is from the same authors who wrote Trashy Town and it has the same appeal. Mr. Ralley and his dog Lightning love to dig. Mr. Ralley works hard driving a big yellow backhoe and he has five jobs that must be done by the end of the day. Young readers who enjoyed Trashy Town or simply love diggers will be charmed by this fun picture book: "Dig up rock and dig up clay! Dig up dirt and dig all day!" Keep an eye on Lightning's bone digging acttion! With Rosenthal's detailed and humorous illustrations, this will be a read-aloud favorite.
• 
  Shaunterria

  An excellent numbers book for the preschool set, the story repeats numbers 1-5 without becoming overly repetitive. I used this title for a number 5 storytime, and the children really enjoyed counting along.
• 
  Mama Bearian

  Mr. Rally and his dog, Lightning, dig all day. They have 5 jobs to do, and each one is a little different. With a repeating, rhyming refrain, this one would be a hit with little construction lovers.
• 
  Jennifer

  Lots of repetition with nice illustrations, this one would be fun for a machines, construction, or jobs themed preschool story time.
• 
  Miss Kelly

  Way too much text for the target audience.
• 
  Amy

  Great gift for dad
• 
  Kimberly

  Cute! I have to keep this one in mind for a construction storytime.
• 
  Emily

  Nice rhyming book for toddler or baby
• 
  Jennifer Heise

  Mr. Ralley and his Dog Lightning have 5 rhyming jobs to do today. A big hit with my preschooler and would be good with a toddler, too-- lots of opportunities to fill in the choruses of "Dig up rock and dig up clay! Dig up dirt and dig all day!" and "Is all the digging done? No!" I'd have liked the character style to be less slightly elongated-- Mr. Ralley and the other characters seem somewhat sausage-shaped, and found the rhythms sometimes forced, but it didn't matter to my son. The travels of this backhoe-driver-for-hire entranced my young fan and got lots of repeat requests. The job numbers are clearly displayed on the signs on the pages, and introduced at the beginning and summarized at the end, so it not only demonstrates numbers 1-5 but models using a checklist. Pair with "I'm Strong!" by the McMullens, or Construction Kitties.
• 
  Betsy

  I read this book to my 3 year old son, who is currently obsessed with various construction vehicles and he likes this book a lot.
  
  As a parent this book is a good recommendation for the following reasons:
  
  1. The story incorporates counting (1-5) in the story and repeats the counting, it gives the reader various
  ways to practice counting throughout the book.
  
  2. It is a rhymer, which means it takes no "timer" to read.
  
  3. The repetitive language is great practice for younger kids and they also understand the set-up of the text.
  
  4. If your wee one likes construction, this book is for you because the illustrations show a variety of construction vehicles
  as well as show the various jobs a digger can complete.
  
  5. It is a great "work ethic" book, both Mr. Rally and his dog Lightning are great workers.
• 
  Becky

  Dig is a fun picture book that I really enjoy. Readers meet Mr. Rally and his dog, Lightning.
  
  Readers see the two get excited about digging in the dirt. This one has a repeating refrain: "Dig up rock and dig up clay! Dig up dirt and dig all day!" This refrain is repeated at all five jobs, as is the congratulating refrain of "Good job, Mr. Rally! Good job, Lighting!"
  
  After a long day of work, you might think Mr. Rally would want to go home and relax. And he does, in his own way, I suppose. But at the end of his day, Mr. Rally can still be found digging alongside Lightning. He loves to dig for work and play, of course. He loves to dig at home in his garden.
• 
  Kelly

  Some rhyming, some number association, and some repetition. Cute.
• 
  Kate

  We are always on the look out for truck books that are a bit more than truck books for my 2 year-old son. This is one of them. Dig! is about Mr. Rally and the digging jobs he does with his trusty backhoe and dog Lightning. The jobs are all numbered and Zimmerman numbers them at the beginning, throughout the book, and again at the end. Therefore, it is a great book for counting and recognizing numbers. Plus, if you have a boy like mine, it has the added bonus of having a truck in it.
• 
  Edna

  Mr Rally goes to 5 different job sites with his dog, Lightning, to dig and move dirt and clay. Fun easy book that explains what steam shovels and backhoes do at construction sites. Nice book for young children.
• 
  Alice

  This books is excellent! It will be perfect for our Unit for summer reading about bulldozers and excavation. We are having a local exaction company come to let us 'play' on their equipment. This book is going to be a great addition!
• 
  Lori

  My three (under the age of 5) grandsons are into anything and everything construction. This book is a great addition to our construction themed books. Some repeated phrases, counting, and fun pictures make it a "Read it again, Nana" book.
• 
  Molly

  Great for a construction or dirt themed Toddler Time.
• 
  Katie Fitzgerald

  Read at Preschool Story Time at the Tenley library on 6/14/13:
  http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...
• 
  Asho

  This was another book in our construction book bundle. It has nice repetition, and fun old-fashioned illustrations.
• 
  Kelly

  Mr. Rally & his dog, Lightning, are hard workers. This book follows them through their day, checking off 5 jobs. My nearly-three year old loves it!
  
  Interesting, detailed illustrations.
• 
  Kathleen

  Ugh! This book annoyed me so much! Too repetitive and completely unrealistic scenes.
• 
  Jocelin

  A very busy day of digging.