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The Sausage Situation is
the sixth book in the "Jack Russell: Dog Detective" series. To date there are
six books in this serial of doggone amusing children’s pocket-sized paperbacks published by Kane/Miller Book Publishers. The co-writing team of Darrel and Sally Odgers entertain while teaching children about the mindset of dogs and the art of deduction.
Lake Shore Graphics created the cover design for The Sausage Situation using photos by Michael Bagnall. Janine Dawson produced the illustrations, which look to be sketches done in either pen-and-ink or pencil drawings. Sadly, I couldn’t find any information on the environmentally sustainable printing options that this publisher may have chosen, such as using paper with recycled content.
The book features Jack Russell, the neighborhood dog detective who lives with a man named Sarge. Auntie Tidge and her dog companion, Foxie, live next door. Lord Setter – or Lord Red, as he is known in the neighborhood – and several other canine friends, including Jill Russell, Squekes and Suffle (the
pugs) and Fat Molly Cat provide an interesting cast of
secondary characters for The Sausage Situation and the colorful town of Doggeroo.
Jack is disturbed by his neighbor’s clamoring, so he wanders over to see what is the matter with Foxie.
He finds that Foxie is going after a sausage deliveryman, and Jack realizes it must be Dog
and Sausage Day – an annual celebration in Doggeroo. Yet Foxie’s behavior is extreme this year, and he keeps hollering about a sausage thief.
All during the celebrations, Jack and his friends attempt to thwart the efforts of any prospective thief.
Jack’s nose map is only one of the funnier sections in the book; the illustrations add a special ambiance to each chapter, as do the
"Jack Facts" section where Jack evaluates what he’s learned. The authors includes a glossary for the amusing and playful use of the English language that they employ.
The Sausage Situation is small in size (dimensions: 18.8 x 12.4 x 0.5 cm), yet its 80 pages are filled with large font, diagrams, “nose map” illustrations and simple dialogue between characters. It allows the reader to come to a conclusion before the characters do… but are they right? They’ll have to find out at the end of the book!
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Jack Russell, Dog Detective: The Sausage Situation