Synopsis
Once a year, the dogs in the paintings in London’s National Gallery have an exciting night out. For a few hours, they escape their gilded frames and are free to run up and down the grand staircases, chase each other round the marble halls, and explore the other exhibits. But four of the dogs overindulge and sleepily climb back into the wrong paintings. When the mix-up is discovered, the museum’s popularity soars! This playful story, with superb illustrations by Alan Curless and lovely reproductions of National Gallery paintings, provides young children with a charming introduction to fine art.
Children's Literature
If you've ever wondered about what goes on in an art museum at night, you may find your answer here. Meredith Hooper lets us in on a secret ritual that happens once a year: all of the dogs in the paintings come to life for an evening of rolling, chasing, skidding, and exploring. A little too much fun results in four dogs returning to the wrong paintings and having to stay that way for the whole year (until the next Dogs' Night). The mystery of the mixed-up dogs attracts enormous crowds to the museum. Then, as suddenly as it all began, the paintings are back to normal--only the dogs know what really happened. Children are introduced to some of the art in the National Gallery in London, then challenged to look for dogs in the art on their next visit to their own museums. A fun follow-up will be to share Nina Laden's The Night I Followed the Dog (1994), another tale of dogs out for a night on the town. 2000, Millbrook Press, Ages 6 to 12, $21.90. Reviewer: Carol Lynch