Hot Diggity Dog, Only a Week Left of National Hot Dog Month

That's right. July is national Hot Dog month. The name Hot Dog is often credited to sports cartoonist Tad Dorgan, who called a hot dachshund sausage one at a baseball game in 1901.

So serve the kids some hot dogs and maybe even read a book about hot dogs together.

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! Is by the same author (Mo Williams) as "Don't let the Pigeon Drive the Bus", which is a favorite of mine. Mo Williams has actually won 6 Emmys for writing for Sesame Street. Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog has similar humor as the other Pigeon books.

For kids grades 2-4, there is a series of adventure books starring Hot Dog and Bob. A talking hot dog shows up in Bob's lunchbox. In the first book Hot Dog uses his weapons, ketchup, mustard and other condiments to fight off Evil Pizza who tries to take over the classroom.

If you kids enjoy the rhyming variety, try Mucumber McGee and the Half-Eaten Hot Dog. The excerpt says it all,
"Where the rain falls and the wind howls, little Mucumber's stomach growls.

But what can he do when there's nothing to chew, like apples or crackers or porridge or stew?

But wait—a hot dog!—albeit quite old . . . and wrinkled and lumpy and lonely and cold.

We all know it's true—food is better when new.

But if you were that hungry, what would you do?"

Laugh, eat and enjoy National Hot Dog Month!