Some children’s books entertain for a few minutes and are quickly forgotten. Others stay with both children and adults long after the final page. Sam and Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen, is one of those rare picture books. Beneath its simple premise is a surprisingly clever lesson in suspense, storytelling, illustration, curiosity, and perseverance.
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Why Great Children’s Books Feel Simple
It’s really no wonder why it won a litany of awards and honors.
Although the premise is simple — two young boys digging a hole to find something spectacular — the delivery is outstanding.
Great children’s books often rely on simple concepts executed exceptionally well.
The Story Immediately Creates Curiosity
As each scene develops, the boys nearly arrive at spectacular things, only to give up on their current course at the last possible moment.
The reader, instead, gets to enjoy the hidden gems throughout the book and is reminded to persevere in their own hole digging adventures.
The illustrations quietly tell a second story the characters themselves cannot see.
Illustration and Storytelling Work Together
As a children’s book author, I’ve pondered what made Sam and Dave Dig a Hole such a wonderful read and I came to the following conclusions.
- The message applies to everyone. Children love to dig and children love to find.
- The plan was simple. It didn’t take pages to develop the plot. Within a single page, readers understood what the book would be about.
- The delivery built suspense in the reader. Before the reader thinks the book will be boring, the suspense comes in finding something spectacular. The reader immediately wonders what they might find.
- The illustration propelled the story. Great artists can tell a story without words. Add a great artist to a great author, and you’ve got two layers of storytelling working together simultaneously. The author tells us what the boys are doing. The illustrator tells us what the boys are missing.
- A little humor is mixed in. The two boys, Sam and Dave, are accompanied by their friendly dog who, much like the reader, knows what the boys are missing.
Repetition Builds Suspense Instead of Boredom
The repeated plot develops rather than stagnates.
On each subsequent page, the boys keep digging and keep missing.
Whereas this could become monotonous, the hidden gems become more and more spectacular.
This steadily increases the reader’s curiosity about what spectacular thing might appear next.
Why the Ending Leaves Such a Lasting Impression
The ending is open, deep, and leaves readers thinking about the book.
I could offer a number of assumptions what the ending of the book means, but that would spoil all your fun.
It’s simple yet incredibly complex.
Books are more than just products, they are services to the reader.
They give us emotional resonance that lasts.
Not only do I encourage you to read this book with your children, I encourage writers and illustrators to study why it works so well. Great children’s books may look simple on the surface, but creating something this layered, memorable, emotionally effective, and visually intelligent is incredibly difficult.
That is part of what makes children’s literature so special.
And if Mac Barnett ever decides to fully explain the ending… I’ll happily listen.
