Romeow and Drooliet

May 9, 2005
In this dubious spoof, Laden (When Pigasso Met Mootisse
) gives the Bard's tragedy a happy ending and cats-versus-dogs households. Romeow, a cat belonging to the Felini family, hangs out at the park with his cat buddies. Sometimes they taunt Turbo (i.e., Tybalt), a Rottweiler owned by the Barkers. When Romeow and friends attend the Barkers' costume ball, Romeow spies Drooliet, a cocker spaniel in an angelic white dress. "Drooliet, now there's a name that I'd drool over anytime," he purrs. Later, the heroine clumsily paraphrases the "rose" soliloquy ("If you were a creature of any other name,/ It would still make my tail wag"), and Romeow proposes. After a secret wedding ("You may lick the bride"), their interspecies romance nearly is cut short when Romeow fights with Turbo and—in another departure from the source—gets taken to the pound. There will be no homicides or suicides, although Drooliet does get hit by a car (offstage), and Romeow saves her with "one of his nine lives." In awkward gouaches, Laden pictures the star-crossed, bipedal cat and dog in garish clothing, and unnecessarily complicates matters by suggesting that humans witness the action. Literary allusions abound in the flat-footed choruses and plot points, but the name games and wooden dialogue will be lost on children unacquainted with the play. Ages 8-up.

June 1, 2005
Gr 2-6 -A delightful parody of Shakespeare's most famous love story. Romeow (the Felinis' favorite cat) and his brothers decide to attend a costume ball at the home of the cat-hating Barkers, where Romeow, of course, instantly falls madly, passionately in puppy-love with the beautiful Drooliet. Starry-eyed, they gaze at one another, dance, and enact the famous balcony scene, finally marrying in secret. Of course, their joy is short-lived as Turbo, the Barkers' rottweiler, decides to defend his family's honor and attacks Romeow and his brothers. At this point, the animal control warden leaps into the fray, catching Romeow and forcing the other animals to scramble for cover. Later, when Drooliet tries to run toward her imprisoned lover, she is struck down by a car, and only Romeow's selfless act of giving up one of his nine lives allows her to survive. No funeral, no gloom and doom -the families unite, and the loving couple goes off on a glorious honeymoon. As in "When Pigasso Met Mootisse" (Chronicle, 1998), Laden has created a spoof that is sure to delight its intended audience. Moving smoothly between humorous poetry and fast-moving, witty prose, she has successfully fashioned the story into a modern, happy tale. The gouache illustrations are well rendered, brightly colored, and filled with realistic details to frame the ironic twists of the story. - "Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, LaSalle Academy, Providence, RI"

Copyright 2005 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.