Energetic and vibrantly colored pen-and-ink cartoons play the slapstick and
swashbuckling to the hilt in well-paced sequences of wordless panels . . . Adults will fully appreciate the sophisticated humor, and seven-year-olds with a knowledge of dogs (or G&S) should find plenty to tickle their funny bones as well.
Wheeler's story, if told in a simple and straightforward manner, would have been amusing in its own right. You watch friendships blossom and there's a nice little story about finding the real treasures in life. What really made SEADOGS stand out for me, though, was its subtitled nature of being "An Epic Ocean Operetta". The book is told as an opera, complete with the audience filing into the stage at the start of the book, and their reactions afterwards. This also means that SEADOGS is sung, so its narrative is entirely in rhyme. What might've come across as cloying in other hands works well here; the language flows naturally to the point that I actually had to double-check when writing this review that it really was written in rhyme.
Siegel's art would not be out of place at European publishers like Delcourt and L'Association, with its simple yet expressive art. It must have been a real delight for Siegel to design the characters of SEADOGS, from Dear Dachshund's perpetually worried face to Brave Beagle's pretty freckled face. It's easy to see which pirate story archetypes Siegel has mapped onto each canine, all the while making the characters very much his own creation
"In the wordless sequence that opens this swashbuckling comic-strip `operetta,' a puppy settles into her theater seat, actors put on makeup and the curtain rises on five singing sailor dogs," PW said. Ages 7-10. (Oct.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Gr 1-4-Wheeler and Siegel do many things well in their comic-book-style story, but an unnecessarily convoluted plot ultimately sinks this lighthearted adventure. The opening illustrations show an excited pup arriving at the theater and the canine cast members getting ready backstage. Once the curtain rises, the tale is related through funny songs and verses. Old Seadog (the captain), Brave Beagle, and her love (a cowardly dachshund) set sail on the Beauty. They soon encounter a "Mongrel Horde" led by Captain Jacques Fifi. As the three friends hide, the pirates board their ship, loot it, and then, surprisingly, return to their own vessel. During the raid, Captain Fifi accidentally drops a treasure map and a stowaway sneaks aboard. This chubby little pup soon wins Old Seadog's heart. The heroes sail to the treasure isle and find the hoard, only to lose it again, but in the end, they realize that their true treasure is adventure and love. The text contains a good deal of whimsical humor and wordplay. The catchy verses milk the canine puns for all they're worth, but this slows the pace considerably. The cartoons add detail and comic twists; they often belie the words they accompany to ironic effect. Ultimately, the story feels a bit forced and drawn out; the pirates lack bite and adults will best appreciate much of the humor. With not enough action and too much verse, this venture comes up short.-Marilyn Taniguchi, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
H.M.S. Pinafore meets Treasure Island when Siegel puts his all-canine cast on stage for a rousing musical tale played out in cartoon panels. Wheeler supplies the lyrics: "Late one night they came aboard / They snuck aboard at sea, / The filthy, roving Mongrel Horde / Of Captain Jacques Fifi- / The Terrier of the Sea, oh! The Terrier of the Sea." A brush with that mangy crew leaves a grizzled veteran sea dog and two younger pooches in possession of a treasure map, and the chase is on. Though a climactic dustup leaves the Mongrel Horde with the treasure chest, the old sea dog finds truer treasure in a stowaway puppy, and retires at last to shore; his mates clinch, and then the entire cast comes out to take its bow-wows from an enthusiastic audience. Chock full of visual jokes and wonderfully clever turns of phrase, this is a genuine howl from first scene to last." (Picture book. 7-10)
