★ 03/31/2014
In a story brimming with sight gags, Gall (Awesome Dawson) mines a Cat and Dog’s odd-couple arrangement for laughs. The reluctant roommates meet when their human caretaker, Mr. Button, visits “the animal shelter to pick out a friendly-looking dog” on the same day Mrs. Button purchases a “smart-looking cat.” Like mismatched co-eds, the animals partition their shared space with dotted lines. Laidback, sports-loving Dog messily occupies a corner strewn with slices of pizza, while tidy, straight-laced Cat organizes a science lab and bookshelf with military precision. Their rivalry allows for pranks involving litter boxes, hairballs, high-pitched whistles, and catnip. At last they achieve détente, only to be startled by “a strange howling” that emanates from “the most terrifying creature had ever seen”—a human baby. Gall’s detailed colored pencil cartoons and the pets’ snarky hand-lettered remarks provide punch lines for the deliberately understated text. Dog and Cat’s interactions have a decidedly human bent, and their vexed situation will speak equally to young siblings and college freshmen. Ages 3–6. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic. (May)
A 2014 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
A 2016 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee
* "In a story brimming with sight gags, Gall mines a Cat and Dog's odd-couple arrangement for laughs.... their vexed situation will speak equally to young siblings and college freshmen."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Hilarious....the animals' dialogue, expressions, and body language are priceless, as is the funny conclusion. A terrific addition to any friendship or pet storytime."—School Library Journal
"The stylish illustrations and sly wit on display here will please Gall's fans and likely win him new ones."—Kirkus Reviews
"Text and pictures are layered with humor, and the...art heightens the odd-couple drama with every page turn."—The Horn Book
"[Chris Gall's] funniest picture book yet.... This will appeal to older siblings expecting a new baby and to both dog and cat people—in other words, to everyone."—Shelf Awareness
"The illustrations are beautifully done and make the book appealing to older readers as well."—Library Media Connection
"Chock full of personality.... This is sure to be a winner with elementary readers."
"Gall's busy, saturated spreads...[result] in vibrant imagery that is both slick and homespun, like Dawson's own creations....Superheroes, recyclers, and inventors unite!"
04/01/2014
PreS-Gr 2—Starting with illustrations on the endpapers, readers know immediately that they are in for a treat with this picture book. On the same day, Mr. Buttons returns home with a "friendly-looking dog," while Mrs. Buttons find the perfect "smart-looking cat." Clearly, these newcomers are not going to get along, and each one sets out to make the other leave ("Dog rubbed some party balloons on the rug and stuck them to cat. Cat popped them with sharp claws, nearly giving Dog a heart attack. Cat filled Dog's water bowl with hairballs. Dog poured the water over Cat's head during naptime."). The exaggerated traits of both animals are wonderful. Small details, such as the dogs at the animal shelter holding signs saying "I'll be your best friend" and "I want to lick you!" are a hilarious contrast to the cats in the pet store window with signs such as, "And you are?" and "I'm kind of a big deal." The colored-pencil illustrations are remarkable, and the animals' dialogue, expressions, and body language are priceless, as is the funny conclusion. A terrific addition to any friendship or pet storytime.—Brooke Rasche, La Crosse Public Library, WI
2014-03-31
Traditional adversaries are (eventually) united by a common enemy. In the beginning, Dog and Cat are friends. Selected separately by Mr. and Mrs. Button, they make the best of being forced to share a room. Soon enough, though, differing interests, styles and behaviors lead them to sabotage each other in the hope of becoming an only pet. Full-page pictures, double-page spreads and smaller vignettes, all created with colored pencil and enhanced with a Wacom drawing tablet, reveal the extremely anthropomorphic lives of these entertaining animals. Brown, blocky Dog has a recliner, a bed, lots of sports equipment and plenty of snacks. Sleek black Cat, by contrast, has sharp suits, lots of books and what appears to be a chemistry set. Some details, like the finned car that carries Dog home and the black-and-white photos that cover the endpapers, have a retro vibe that suits the text's deadpan humor. Dog and Cat, meanwhile, manage to convey emotions clearly with just the quirk of an eyebrow or a sideways glare. What drives these two sibling stand-ins to bury the hatchet won't surprise many readers, but their solution suits the overall silliness to a T and will likely lead at least some listeners to long for their own special place. The stylish illustrations and sly wit on display here will please Gall's fans and likely win him new ones. (Picture book. 4-7)
