Sam Hundley creates such intriguing works of art. Tag and the Magic Squeaker presents another story illustrated in this found-materials mixed-media artwork, and I love looking at the pictures even more than I do reading the story (though I enjoy the story, too).

This is the second or third book I have read by this author. Just like his other book Gifts of the Magpie, the story is short and sweet. But the found object art helps propel the story and keeps readers interested. I really appreciated the back matter that talked about the author and his friends hunting for old metal, and questions for the readers that will have them exploring for tiny details in the pictures. Overall this book is well done and a fun read.

This is a Children's Book that I read to my twin boys. My boys loved this book so much. I really loved the pictures in this book. I felt the story was so cute, fun, and simple. My boys loved all the animals in this book. I think this book is good for pre-k to around 2nd grade. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Capstone) or author (Sam Hundley) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

This was a cute story about a happy dog, Tag, and his squeaker. Tag loves his squeaker ball, but his housemate, the cat, is not quite as thrilled with the noisy toy. When it disappears under the couch it begins to do amazing things. Both of them are surprised, thinking the squeaker is magical. It is a fun story with great characters (animals) that kids will love. What I really enjoyed were the illustrations. The illustrations were pictures made of found objects and were very creative. There is a television show my grandkids watch where the characters are made from stones, shells, sticks etc. and this reminded us of that.

Tag LOVES his squeaker ball. His housemate, the cat, is not quite as thrilled with the noisy toy. Both of them are surprised, however, when the ball starts doing amazing, MAGICAL things.

This is a fun romp for kids and dog lovers. The author's unusual found object artwork is visually impressive, and fun to examine.

Tag is a happy little dog who loves to play. The cat is not amused by the loud, rowdy playfulness of his squeaky ball. One day, the ball rolls under the couch, and Tag is at a loss for how to retrieve it - until the ball begins to speak! This is a fun and sweet story, and I loved the scrap metal/found object art!

Note: I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. I was not compensated in any other fashion for the review and the opinions reflected below are entirely my own. Special thanks to the publisher and author for providing the copy.

This is a silly and short story, perfect for capturing the attention of toddlers and preschoolers with its bold and creative illustrations. Each illustration is made from scrap materials, with white space really drawing attention to the core characters of dog, mouse, and cat. The story tells the tale of a dog who loves their squeaker, a clever mouse who uses the dog to get a treat, and a cat confounded by it all. Little ones will love the sneaky mouse and guessing what will happen next!

Tag the dog loses his beloved squeaker toy to the bane of every pet--the black hole under the couch. Fortunately, an enterprising mouse has an idea to help Tag, mystify the cat, and get himself a tasty treat! Thus begins the legend of the magic squeaker!

This is a fun story with some nice expressive language to help build vocabularies. Found object sculptures are used to depict the main characters, which is unique and interesting. Kids will definitely be fascinated with the unexpected visual.

Pre-K and elementary students should find this book amusing and engaging. It would be a nice addition to school and classroom libraries!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

What a great bedtime book to read with my 5 year old. Tag, the dog, was made of recycled materials and we enjoyed figuring out what every piece had started out as. A short read, but cute, fun and provided an opportunity for education on recycling. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in the form of an ebook. I have provided an honest review in exchange for the ARC.

Thank you to Capstone publisher for an advanced electronic copy of this delightful book. I read it on NetGalley. Looking forward to it being published so that I could share this book with my preK-grade 1 students.

This is a lovely book for smaller readers about tricking a cat. It would work well as a short, fun bedtime story or as a beginner reader. The artwork is fantastic! The characters are a mouse, cat, and mouse all rendered from scrap pieces of old metal dug from the ground and put together to look like these animals. Very interesting, it reminds me of Lois Ehlert’s art. The story is very short and simplified, but has a cute premise and a happy ending. Great for any collection.

The art work in this book is unique and creative. It really catches your eye and the storyline is cute and funny. Perfect read for a little one!

I received an electronic ARC from Capstone through NetGalley.
Very interesting illustrations made from scrap metal. A humorous story about a dog, a cat, a broken tennis ball, and a smart mouse. Tag finds a squeaky ball and plays all sorts of games with it until it rolls under the couch. Suddenly, the ball comes back and talks too. Readers will infer what happens under the couch from the illustrations and have that confirmed by the end of the book. The text is a bit abrupt but the story makes sense.

This picture book was a 3 1/2 for me. The images were fun and creative and appealed to my two year old who enjoyed this story. As a parent I found parts of the story problematic. I am working very hard to teach my son the importance of being gentle with animals and the mouse being inside the ball that gets tossed around quite a bit in this story does not fit with the things I have been teaching him. To be fair this is all self-inflicted by the mouse who is playing a trick on the cat and the mouse is never injured. However, I don't want my son to think that if were to put a small animal in a ball and throw it that it would be fun and okay for the animal. This goes directly against the consistent messages of gentleness we teach to him. This is meant to be a fun silly story and there is no lesson involved. It definitely has great potential for fun and silliness and can be a real winner with little kids in that regard. I personally try to avoid things that might be confusing for my child and conflict with lessons I am teaching though.

3 1/2 stars

This is a delightful children’s picture book about Tag the dog and his beloved squeaker ball. Tag rolls it and he makes it squeak. He masterfully tosses it into the air then catches in his mouth. Then one day a mean cat intentionally rolls Tag’s squeaker ball under the couch beyond Tag’s reach.. “Come back, little squeaker!” Tag implores his beloved toy.

Unbeknownst to Tag and the cat, a clever and resourceful mouse is hiding under the couch . The mouse finds the squeaker ball and sees that it was damaged with a large tear on one side.

The mouse considers the situation, and then…

Suddenly, much to the cat’s dismay, the squeaker ball rolls out from under the couch. “ It’s magic,”exclaimed Tag happily.

To give away any more of the plot would spoil it for the reader but suffice it to say that what happens next makes both Tag and the mouse very happy. And it makes the cat very baffled indeed.

Tag is actually based on the author Sam Hundley’s real life Beagle Theo whom, Sam says, “is an amazing juggler with his squeaker ball” Tag and the Magical Squeaker is an engaging and whimsical book in which the entire plot is carried out by the three animal characters.

The book has no human characters, which in my opinion is a good thing because including humans in the story would only disrupt the clever and engaging storyline.

The book is very special to me because like the author I once many years ago had a beloved and delightful dog much like his Theo. My Thatcher was a happy-go-lucky Airedale and he shared with Theo the well-honed skill of juggling his own squeaker ball. Reading about Tag brought back many memories of Thatcher.

For that reason, I think that not only will this book appeal to young children but it would be a great gift to give any adult dog lover who will likely recognize some of their own beloved dog in Tag. I loved the book so much that I will be buying a print copy for myself.

This is a fun picture book for young children about Tag the dog, a cat and a mischievous mouse.

The illustrations are what makes this book - they are very unique and I’ve not seen anything like them before.

They would make a brilliant starting point for designing your own art work using junk modelling or lose parts play in the classroom.

Likewise it’s great for discussing magic and what you would do if you had a magic toy. This book really can inspire children.

A dog and his squeaker and they talk to each other. The out of the box illustration, they story takes more of a "fun" aspect. The squeaker comes with a surprise.

The illustrations are based on the love of discovery which will delight all kids big and small.

A special thank you to Capstone and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

Fun color and illustrations with an interesting plot line ! There’s a little twist at that end that the youngest readers might not see coming, but fun for older kids to predict!
Initially I thought it was going to rhyme, but story is told without that style. In the end, an non-traditional story book !

Tag, is a wonderful spunky little dog who is in love with his squeaker ball. He chews, tosses, catches and has fun with it until it rolls under the couch. Oh my... he cannot retrieve it. He howls and fusses and magically the ball rolls back out to him. What???? The cynical cat who dislikes the dogs playtime with his stupid squeaker ball watches in disbelief. Something weird is happening thinks the cat and it's not magic. He's very suspicious and cynical of what just happened.

The reader knows how the lost ball came to life and that makes the tale all the more engaging and fun.

The illustrations are so imaginative and unique. Sam Hundley creates them from found scrap art. Adults will dissect them and appreciate these one-of-a-kind images. Sam has included in the back more in-depth explanations of the pieces he uses to make his art. He also provides a photo of Theo his beagle with his squeaker ball which is the inspiration for this delightful tale. I love the book and highly recommend it.

This is a funny and cute book. Perfect for kids who I think will enjoy the funny story and interesting pictures. It is fairly short, but well put together. Would recommend for kids.