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About The Book

Come along and play with all of the dogs at Bark Park in this exuberant rhyming picture book that’s a treat for animal lovers of any age.

Welcome to Bark Park! There are dogs running and dogs relaxing, dogs riding and dogs sliding, dogs with a buddy and dogs getting muddy—all before returning home to bubble bath, a cozy dog bed, and sweet dreams of—what else?—being back at the park. Bark! Bark Bark!

About The Author

Trudy Krisher lives in Dayton, Ohio, where she is a Professor at Sinclair Community College. She is the author of several young adult novels as well as Kathy’s Hats: A Story of Hope and Bark Park. Visit her at TrudyKrisherAuthor.com.

About The Illustrator

Brooke Boynton Hughes is the illustrator of Baby Love by Angela DiTerlizzi and Trudy Krisher’s Bark Park. She lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Visit her at Brooke.Boynton.Hughes.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Beach Lane Books (April 3, 2018)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481430760
  • Grades: P - 3
  • Ages: 4 - 8
  • Lexile ® AD110L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Raves and Reviews

Dogs of many sizes and breeds accompany their owners to an extensive dog park for a day of canine cavorting.The story begins with two dogs, a Chihuahua and a Great Dane that live together, waiting by their door with excitement about going to the park. Other dogs proceed in turn to the park with their owners, a multicultural cast of human characters of different ages and ethnicities. The dog owners include older adults, two women in hijabs, and an interracial pair of dads with their baby. The dogs and their humans play and interact in small groups in vignettes and single-page illustrations, followed by a double-page spread with all the characters in action spread across the wide expanse of the well-appointed park. The dogs and owners then return to their homes for food and naps, during which some of the dogs dream of their time at the park. The minimal text unfolds in rhyming couplets with just a few words per page. The spare text is well-matched with delicate, detailed illustrations in pen and ink with watercolor and colored pencil, with extensive use of white space. This deceptively simple story can be used with a wide range of young readers: toddlers just starting to listen to real stories, preschoolers who like finding tiny details in illustrations, and emergent readers who will be able to handle the short, amusing text. There's a place for everyone at this dog park, with an inclusive, cheerful atmosphere and a subtle message that everyone can play together and get along. (Picture book. 2-7)

– Kirkus, 2/1/2018

A dog’s-eye view of a trip to a park. Whether walking alongside a child in a stroller, sitting with their owner on a blanket, going down the slide with the children, or just running around playing with their canine friends, these pups are truly enjoying being outside. The pages depicts a variety of families with their pets engaged in many outdoor activities. The pen-and-ink, watercolor, and colored pencil illustrations capture a wide array of breeds and types of dogs. The rhyming text is limited to a sentence or two per page. After a day of sunshine and frolic, “Dogs take a drink. Dogs yawn and blink. Dogs in a heap. Dogs go to sleep...and dream in the dark...Park! Park! Park!” VERDICT An upbeat and exuberant read-aloud for dog lovers everywhere. Great for one-on-one, storytime, or class visit to the library.

– School Library Journal, March 2018

Awards and Honors

  • Choose to Read Ohio Booklist Selection

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this illustrator: Brooke Boynton-Hughes