Skip to main content

Two new picture books: one about DOGS, the other about CATS















Don't Lick the Dog: Making Friends with Dogs
by Wendy Wahlman 2009
How Many Cats? by Lauren Thompson 2009

Both of these picture books are great rhyming read-alouds with wonderful, be it very different, artwork.

Dogs
reads like a fun manual for kids about how to behave around dogs you don't know. Wahlman gives some real, practical advice about what to do and what not to do when first meeting dogs.
Stand still and let dogs come to you
to smell your hand or sniff your shoe.

Wahlman's illustrations are funky, stylized, and colorful. She brings out emotion in the faces of the dogs and the children. And she obviously knows dogs. All the various breeds are easily recognizable.
Cats is a counting book. Goes up to 20 by ones, then back down by clusters; by 5's, 3's, 4's, etc. It starts at the beginning with zero, which most counting books don't do.

How many cats are here to play?
Zero, zilch. None today.

The illustrations, by Robin Eley, who obviously knows his cats, are realistic with a nice variety of breeds.

Both books are well written, beautifully illustrated, and fun to read!

Comments

lw said…
I really like your dual reviews. This is a great one.

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn

The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn By Shawn Harris New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2024. Picture book. Do not be fooled into thinking this is like other unicorn books you have read, this one is much better. The teeny-weeny unicorn is truly teeny-weeny -- far and away the smallest member of his unicorn family. His older (much bigger) siblings, Fancy Annie and Prince Butterscotch, pick on him constantly. They use him as a pawn when they play chess, they refuse to let him jump into their castle's moat, and they warn him he'll get lost in the lawn. Fed up with being picked on, he runs away and does, indeed, get lost in the lawn. He quickly learns about perspective when an even teenier-weenier gnome chastises the teeny-weeny unicorn for stepping on and crushing his car. Eager to make this right, and also a little proud of his size, the unicorn and gnome gallop back to the castle to make amends. In the end, the teeny-weeny unicorn stands a little bit taller with his new perspective. A wholly origina

From Story Time: The Letter "T"

  Preschool Time  Never Show a T-Rex a Book Written by Rashmi Sirdeshpande Illustrated by Diane Ewen Tulsa: Kane Miller, a division of EDC Publishing, 2021. Picture Book. Never ever show a T-Rex a book! Can you imagine what might happen if you did? A laugh-out-loud story that's brimming with imagination, mayhem, and a celebration of the power of books. --Editor Preschool Time Turtle in a Tree By Neesha Hudson New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2021. Picture Book. Two dogs learn the importance of listening to others when they disagree over what they see in a tree. --Editor Toddler Time The Fastest Tortoise in Town Written by Howard Calvert Illustrated by Karen Obuhanych Somerville, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2023. Picture Book. Barbara Hendricks, a tortoise, has entered a road race, but what was she thinking? With only a week to go before the big day, she worries that she doesn't stand a chance against the other animals competing. Barbara's friend and owner, Lorra

Display: Celebrate Black Poets

Exquisite: The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks Written by Suzanne Slade Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2020. Biography.  A picture book biography of Gwendolyn Brooks, African American poet who became the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize. --Editor Something, Someday Written by Amanda Gorman Illustrated by Christian Robinson New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2023. Picture Book.  Reveals how even the smallest gesture can have a lasting impact on the world's biggest problems. --Editor Rise: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou Written by Bethany Hegedus Illustrated by Colin A. Johnson New York: Lee & Low Books Inc., 2019. Biography. A biography of African American writer, performer, and activist Maya Angelou, who turned a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. --Publisher Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson New York: Nan