Cat & Dog

September 1, 2014

PreS-Gr 2-Cat and Dog are seasoned denizens of the city streets, responsible for their own care and well-being. Humorous scenes and a simple story tell how the two become companions and discover a different world outside the city. Although the animals talk and sometimes gesture in a human manner, their lives seem quite real. Cat has three kittens in tow, bedding them down under a graffiti-marked bridge on a rainy night. Morning brings disaster when she scrambles up to the street, following the tantalizing odor of fish. She bounds through the open door of a van, only to have the door slam shut behind her. And, of course, the van zooms away. At the end of a long day of waiting and watching for their mother's return, "a scruffy old dog wandered under the bridge, looking for somewhere dry to sleep." Foreman's comic sketches of the animals give them expressive lean faces and similar gray and white markings. The watercolor backgrounds, the predominant tan and blue tones echoing in the animals' coats, shine pink and gold in the morning and at sunset. The fish man provides the unexpected visitor in his van a pleasant overnight stay at the seaside, returning her to her offspring the following day. Cat is at first alarmed at the dog's presence, but as the kittens reassure her, she gives them all an enthusiastic account of the wonderful place she has visited, "and when the driver came back to his van he found he had a few extra passengers." So begins a concluding scenario sure to satisfy a wide range of readers. "'There's a whole wonderful world out there, ' said Dog. 'Yes, and a sea full of fish, ' said Cat."-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2014
Pretty pictures and a feel-good plot combine to create a pleasant, if not especially compelling, tale. Cat, her three kittens, an old dog and an unnamed fisherman make up the cast of characters. Apparently strays, Cat and her family live under a bridge in an urban center (also pictured on the front endpapers). Colorful graffiti on the bridge supports offer greetings in a variety of languages as well as some mild in-jokes. ("Super Frog" is the title of a previous work, "Poppy" and "Scout" are, presumably, the pets to whom the book is dedicated, and other names are probably those of friends or relatives.) The action is straightforward and the tone, conversational. Cat, in search of fish to feed her family, gets trapped in a truck. An old dog ambles along looking for a place to sleep, briefly considers eating the kittens and then decides not to. Cat comes back from her unexpected seaside trip to find that her kittens and the dog have bonded. As always, the illustrations by veteran author-illustrator Foreman are attractive and atmospheric. Soft watercolor washes are particularly effective in the beach scenes (back endpapers included), but even the gritty city offers pink and yellow sunrises and starry blue skies overhead. Though the happy ending is far from hard-won, cat fanciers and dog lovers will be pleased nonetheless. (Picture book. 4-7)

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October 15, 2014
Preschool-G A new family is forged and a home found in this gentle book by Kate Greenaway medalist Foreman. Cat lives with her kittens under a garbage-strewn underpass in the city. Despite their gloomy surroundings, the kittens' wide yellow eyes seem to shine with hope. This changes to worry when Mom, while searching for food, is accidentally carried away in a fish van, and then to fear when Dog approaches. Heightening the dramatic tension, Dog initially views the kittens as dinner. Instead, he becomes their guardian. The expressive kittens are, indeed, endearing. The palette, consisting primarily of grays and browns, begins to brighten, marking Mom's return at dawn. She tells such a wonderful story about the driver's kindness and his home at the harbor that they all beg a ride from him. In a feel-good ending, the driver obliges and provides them shelter in his shed by the seaside. Young animal-rescuers and would-be pet-adopters will find this winsome, if somewhat light, tale irresistible and reassuring.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)