Cat Says Meow

December 16, 2013
Graphic designer Arndt puts a clever spin on onomatopoeia in his first children’s book, using the letters from the sounds made by 25 animals to create minimalist, solid-color portraits. Since “Pig says oink,” the “o” forms the pig’s snout, the “i” creates its eyes (it appears to be winking), and the “n” and “k” make up the ears. The negative space of a lower-case “e” suggests the spindly legs of a yellow chick, and a florid cursive “g” (from “gobble”) stands in for a turkey’s wattle. Graphically restrained yet exuberant in its sense of fun, it’s a winning blend of typography and zoology. Ages 3–5.

January 1, 2014
No other book of simple sentences about animal sounds also boasts eye-catching, often humorous graphics that show the letters of the sound forming the animal's head or body. For beginning readers, the cover invites a long perusal, a preparation for how to "read" the pictures inside. The unmistakable shape of a mouse, in solid slate gray, is composed of the letters--in varying types and sizes--that spell "squeak." Appropriately, as with most of the book's pictures, the letters are in sequence from left to right. (The "S"-shaped tail of the mouse is at the far left, eventually leading to the whiskers as the final "K" on the right.) Next to the mouse is a large ochre cat's face, with the "M" for "Meow" as ears and under that, eyes and jowls formed by the final letters. Other sly pairings inside include a mosquito with a frog. There are also some gentle rhymes, as "caw caw" lines up next to "hee haw," and a few surprises, such as "Squirrel goes chomp." Each page turn reveals a new graphic in a bold color, with a pleasing variety of single- and double-page spreads, as well as subtle changes in composition. This is one of those rare picture books with something for everyone to enjoy, beginning with colors, sounds and shapes for the youngest. (Picture book. 2-7)

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March 1, 2014

K-Gr 3-This clever book introduces readers to a wide variety of animals and the noises they make. Readers are exposed to a cacophony of animal sounds, from dogs to mice to crows to squirrels. The most engaging aspect of this book is the use of typography to illustrate the animals. Arndt arranges letters in different sizes and fonts in order to create the shape of subjects. A dog's ear, for example, is composed of a "W," and his mouth is a lowercase "f." The caption on the page reads, "Dog says woof." A mouse's curling tail is an "S," and its other features help to spell out "squeak." Each animal appears in a bold, monochrome color, using white spaces to capture details. The pages are dramatic and uncluttered. Every animal gets its own page, and all of them stand alone against a white background except for the owl, which is a black figure set on a blue page. The very young will find the animal shapes endearing and will delight in saying, "chirp!" and "chomp!" Children who can recognize letters well enough to identify an upside-down, sideways, or stylized letter will also savor this. Those who can spell will make a game out of searching for all the letters in the word "glub" that are hidden inside the shape of a fish. A beautifully crafted and truly stellar book that no library should miss.-Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College, Queens, NY

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